According to the NHS, the average adult needs between seven and nine hours of sleep every night. However, this can be easier said than done.
Many of us can struggle with both getting to sleep and staying asleep, with around one in three of us experiencing these kinds of issues. Insomnia can have many causes, including illnesses, injuries, medication, stress, and anxiety.
Luckily there are also steps we can take to improve our sleep. Research has shown that eating a specific fruit before bed could do just this.
Experts at Silent Night Therapy advised eating pineapple in the evening. They said: “Snack on some pineapple chunks as the evening winds down.”
The tropical fruit is packed with some of the nutrients vital for a good sleep. “Pineapple and melatonin provide vitamin C, magnesium, and fiber to enhance sleep,” they said.
“It also contains an enzyme called bromelain, which eases inflammation and promotes muscle relaxation.” Their recommendation is backed by a study, published in the Journal of Pineal Research in 2013.
Researchers found that pineapple, along with other fruits, significantly boosted melatonin in the body. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycles.
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It is also used to treat occasional insomnia or delayed sleep phase syndrome, when taken one to two hours before bedtime. As part of the study, 12 healthy male participants were given either juice from oranges, pineapples or bananas.
The team found that the men had their highest serum melatonin concentration two hours after drinking the juice.
Study authors explained: “The highest serum melatonin concentration was observed at 120 min after fruit consumption, and compared with before consumption levels, their values were significantly increased for pineapple (146 versus 48 pg/mL P = 0.002), orange (151 versus 40 pg/mL, P = 0.005), and banana (140 versus 32 pg/mL, P = 0.008), respectively.”
The concluded: “These findings suggest that tropical fruit consumption increases the serum melatonin concentrations and also raises the antioxidant capacity in the serum of healthy volunteers in proportion to serum melatonin levels.”
To combat insomnia, the NHS recommends you:
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
- Relax at least one hour before bed, for example, take a bath or read a book
- Make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet – use curtains, blinds, an eye mask or ear plugs if needed
- Exercise regularly during the day
- Make sure your mattress, pillows and covers are comfortable
- Do not smoke or drink alcohol, tea or coffee at least 6 hours before going to bed
- Do not eat a big meal late at night
- Do not exercise at least four hours before bed
- Do not watch television or use devices, like smartphones, right before going to bed, because the blue light makes you more awake
- Do not nap during the day
- Do not sleep in after a bad night’s sleep and stick to your regular sleeping hours instead.
You should speak to your GP if changing your sleeping habits has not helped your insomnia, you’ve had trouble sleeping for months, or your insomnia is affecting your daily life in a way that makes it hard for you to cope.
