Scenario: You haven’t had a good night’s sleep in who knows when. You get up to pee…often. You’re having vivid dreams, worrying about the baby and getting awoken by leg cramps. Sounds to me like you’re pregnant!
Worry not friend, I’ve been doing some research on natural sleep aids and if you’re in need of getting some solid winks at night, having a light snack with foods that contain tryptophan might be able to help.
Tryptophan, which we all know to be found in Thanksgiving turkey, contains amino acid that makes you sleepy. Many experts believe this amino acid makes you tired by raising the level of serotonin in your brain.
Just make sure that before you consume any food before bed, that it’s a least a couple of hours before you hit the pillow!
Foods with tryptophan that are safe for pregnant women include:
- Turkey
- Bananas
- Yogurt
- Eggs
- Tree nuts, including peanuts and peanut butter
- Beans
- Oats
- Fish
- Cheese
- Chocolate
- Dried dates
- Fish
- Pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds
Warm milk has also been a longtime remedy to help relax you before bed, and it also contains tryptophan.
A warning from doctors: Don’t take tryptophan supplements. They are not safe during pregnancy.
Did you have any sleep techniques? If so, what did you do?
