Recipe for a good night's sleep

There are many ways of getting a better nights sleep, and many factors that help or detract from a quality nights rest.

One of these factors is the body's production of sleep enhancing chemicals such as melatonin. Melatonin comes from serotonin the production of which is stimulated by daylight and the amino acid tryptophan among other things.

Tryptophan can be found in many foods such as milk, eggs, meat, fish and cheese. Bananas also help release tryptophan in to the body and many people claim that a banana or milky drink before bed can help you get a better night sleep.

Eating carbohydrate based food such as whole wheat, brown rice, oatmeal and whole grain food 2-4 hours before going to bed is also claimed to be a help as these foods provide a slow release of sugars in to your body without the resultant drop in blood sugar levels often felt after eating refined sugar like chocolate.

As well as eating healthy keeping the bedroom dark during the night is also important. As mentioned previously the production of serotonin is enhanced by daylight but the inverse is true of melatonin which produced in times of darkness. The ideal bedroom should be cool, dark and free from noise and distractions like TVs and computers.