The melatonin It is a hormone whose function is to cause drowsiness at night and achieve a restful sleep. It regulates people’s internal clock to comply with rest. Any type of suppression of this hormone will alter sleep and wakefulness rhythms, causing serious difficulties sleeping at night.
In addition to lack of sleep, lacking melatonin, either due to our lifestyle or because the body has stopped producing it in sufficient quantities, can affect the Neurotransmitter segregation and mitochondrial function. The most recommended option, before resorting to artificial supplements, is to include foods with high melatonin content in your diet.
Among these foods are cherries, pistachios, tomato, corn, walnuts, almonds and egg. In the case of pistachios, it is estimated that eating 30 grams provides 6 milligrams of melatonin, while in cherries, the content ranges between 0.1 and 0.3 milligrams per serving. A salad during dinner that includes about 100 grams of sweet corn would provide 100 micrograms of melatonin.
“The habit of drinking a glass of hot milk before going to bed is something that has always been recommended to sleep better, and the reality is that it works. Milk contains high quantities of two elements that are of great interest to us when it comes to falling asleep: melatonin and tryptophan,” he advised in El Mundo.
Some foods that can help you fall asleep do not contain melatonin, but do tryptophan, an amino acid with multiple functions such as regulating the internal clock. This component can be found in foods such as meats, oily fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, rice, oats or legumes.
Finally, it is important to highlight that melatonin secretion will be conditioned by factors such as artificial light or physical activity, so it is essential to avoid the use of electronic screens two hours before going to sleep, create an environment of dim light and Avoid consuming caffeine, alcohol and tobacco hours before bedtime.
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