It promotes the production of melatonin, the hormone that signals the body that it is time to sleep.
Dinner is the last meal of the day and its content can have a favorable or unfavorable impact on the quality of our sleep. We know that heavy, fatty or spicy meals mobilize digestion for hours and disrupt sleep. On the contrary, certain foods act as natural allies for falling asleep, thanks to their specific nutritional profile which prepares the body and mind for rest.
These foods are interesting because they are rich in tryptophan,”an essential amino acid that the body uses to synthesize serotonin, the mood- and sleep-regulating neurotransmitter, which is then converted to melatonin, the hormone that signals the body that it is time to sleep“, explains Samantha Cassetty, nutritionist and author of the book “Sugar Shock” (ed. Hearst Home). For this process to be optimal, tryptophan needs help: complex carbohydrates are necessary to allow it to cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the brain.
The best strategy to promote sleep is to integrate these nutrients into a warm, comforting and easy-to-digest meal: soup. The “sleep soup” par excellence is the one that combines red lentils, very rich in tryptophan, and sweet potato, a super root vegetable that contains complex carbohydrates and soft fibers that are very easy to digest.
To maximize the effects, you can sprinkle a small handful of pumpkin seeds, known to be an excellent source of tryptophan and magnesium which helps calm the brain, as well as a spoonful of malted yeast, an exceptional source of vitamin B, directly involved in falling asleep.
The nutritionist recommends eating this soup 2 to 3 hours before bed, which allows the melatonin conversion process to be underway just as you slip under the duvet, and the digestion process to be almost complete. “The human body is not designed to digest while lying down“, underlines the expert.
