It’s true when they say you need to get your beauty sleep. During the time when you are asleep the body rejuvenates itself. As you can imagine, this has a beneficial effect on the condition and appearance of your skin. This is one reason why you should ensure you get around 7-9 hours sleep each night; the amount of sleep needed varies slightly from person to person.
One of the ways you can try to ensure you get a good night’s sleep is to include certain foods and drinks in your diet. These items contain vitamins, minerals and chemicals that are useful in aiding sleep. In this article we are going to take a look at why quality sleep is so important for your skin. We are also going to examine which foods can help you get the sleep you need on a regular basis.
Why is sleep important for the condition and appearance of your skin?
One of the things that happen when you sleep is the production of collagen in your skin. As you may be aware, the collagen in your skin makes it appear plumper and helps to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. The flow of blood to your skin is also boosted when you are asleep. This helps to give your skin a glowing rather than a dull appearance. Another benefit of making sure that you sleep as much as you should is that you are less likely to develop puffy eyes. Most of us have had that look on a few occasions but it’s not something you want on a regular basis.
So, you can see why it’s so important to make sure you get sufficient sleep, but it’s not always that simple. Many people have problems simply switching off after a busy day. Others just find it difficult to drift off to sleep, or to remain asleep all night. If any of these apply to you then take a look at this list of foods which could be of help.
Fish
The majority of fish that you eat contains vitamin B6. This is especially the case if you enjoy a meal containing salmon, halibut or tuna. This vitamin aids the production of melatonin which is a hormone that helps you to fall asleep by recognising when it’s dark.
Yogurt
We have included yogurt in our list but you could actually replace it with other dairy products. It’s the calcium that these products contain which is important. If you do not have enough calcium in your body you can find it more difficult to fall asleep. Of course, calcium also helps to protect the density of the bones in your body.
Whole Grains
We have already mentioned that a lack of calcium can make it difficult for you to sleep; the same applies to a lack of magnesium. If you eat whole grains, such as barley, you can supplement the levels of magnesium in your body.
Kale
You may not realise it, but leafy green vegetables like kale are a good source of calcium just like dairy products. It’s a good idea to eat this type of vegetable in the evening if you need help with your sleep.
Bananas
We discussed the importance of vitamin B6 in the production of melatonin, earlier in this article. Bananas are also rich in this vitamin so they are useful to have in the fruit bowl if you are not a good sleeper.
Walnuts
Another important item that is important in producing melatonin, as well as serotonin, is tryptophan. This is an amino acid and it’s found in walnuts.
Lettuce
If you love to eat salads then you may find it useful to know that they could be helping you sleep. Lettuce contains lactucarium which can act as a sedative.
Pretzels
Pretzels may not always be the healthiest food to eat but they can be useful if you are having problems getting enough quality sleep. They, like some other foods, have a high glycemic index. This means that eating them can cause your blood sugar to spike. On other occasions this may not be a good thing but if it happens before bedtime it can decrease the time you take to doze off.
Cherry juice
If you are looking for a drink to sip before you head to bed, cherry juice is a good choice. This is especially the case if the juice is tart. This is because the juice helps to boost the melatonin that is present in your body.
Cereal flakes
It turns out that cereal is not only good to eat in the morning. If you snack on a bowl of cereal in the evening you get the benefit of two things that can help you sleep; carbohydrates and calcium.
Chamomile tea
If juice is not your thing you may want to think about drinking chamomile tea to help you sleep. The benefits of this tea are that it increases the glycine in your body. This helps the muscles in your body to relax with its mild sedative qualities.
Hopefully, we have shown you the importance of sleep in the care of your skin. You can see from our list that there are plenty of foods available to help you get vital sleep. But how much does it cost to add these foods to your diet? The good news is that it does not need to cost much at all if you do your research. By reducing the cost of products needed, you can spend more of your budget on healthy foods at VoucherBin with a plentiful provision of discount codes and vouchers.
You can put these to good use purchasing some of the items of our list. This way you can make sure that your cupboards are well stocked with foods that help you get a good night’s sleep and you do not have to spend a lot of money. It’s an excellent way of making sure you get all of the beauty sleep you need.
