When you wonder about eating something at night, you usually refer to eating it right before bed, for your dinner. In such cases, there are two factors playing in your mind: sleep and digestion. The same goes for the banana. The fourth most consumed agricultural crop in the world, bananas are known to have multiple health benefits. In this article, let us find out how bananas will affect your body if eaten at night.
Not a sleep medicine
Before you read any further, however, it is important to keep in mind that bananas will not themselves act as cures of sleep disorders such as insomnia. However, they contain a number of nutrients that will help restore your body’s store of these nutrients, and stabilize your digestion, which has probably been crucial in contributing to your disrupted sleep pattern. It is well known that a banana is a very rich source of magnesium, vitamins, potassium, and tryptophan, and all of these contribute to a good night’s sleep.
Keeps you full and digests easily
Bananas are very high in fiber, and contain a lot of calories as well. As a result, it is a very good addition to your dinner, which needs to be light, filling, and easily digestible. The body’s metabolism slows down at night, and it is best to not eat anything that is hard to digest. Eating a banana at night will ensure that even your slowed down metabolism digests it easily, and you will not be woken by stomach discomforts. Besides, it is filing, and that means you will not feel those midnight hunger pangs that wake you up.
Contains magnesium
Bananas don’t only help stabilize your metabolism, they also actively help you sleep by restoring the balance of certain nutrients in your body. For instance, they are very rich sources of magnesium, which helps in battling insomnia with their neuroprotective effect, helping you to get a longer and deeper sleep. It also regulates the hormone levels in your body, thus effectively lowering your body’s temperature and preventing night cramps.
Contains tryptophan
The presence of tryptophan, an amino acid, makes bananas such an important food to eat before bed. Tryptophan is responsible for the production of certain hormones in the body, such as serotonin and melatonin, which attribute to the moods. Imbalance in these hormones leads to sleep anxiety, paranoia, and depression, and all of these contribute to bad sleeping patterns. Besides, melatonin also regulates your heartbeat, which again prevents difficulties in sleep due to breathing problems.
Also read: Can I eat apple at night?
It is important to note that dinner is a very important meal of the day. What you eat at night will decide how you feel in the morning, so it is important to not eat anything that will cause you discomfort. Bananas are great additions to the dinner plate, but keep in mind that eating a couple of the fruits will not be enough since you need a host of other nutrients to function, and banana alone will not give you that. Besides, a change in diet can help in regulating sleep patterns, but sleep disorders can signal something much more worrying. It is best to consult a doctor if your sleep disruptions continue even after you have made the changes.