As we get older, trying to get those eight hours of sleep every night becomes a bit of a challenge. This may no longer be the case. You might be snacking on the wrong foods that keep your body stimulated before you hit the sack. Certain foods that can help you get a better night sleep and get those eight hours so you can wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start your day.

The myth of drinking a warm glass of milk before bedtime is no joke. Dairy foods include a good source of tryptophan which is the same thing in turkey. Your body converts tryptophan into melatonin and serotonin, which is linked to inducing sleep. Another food that has melatonin is cherries. Eating either fresh or dried cherries before bedtime may help you sleep better.

There are several other food remedies you can try. Eating a few crackers, a small bowl of cereal of oatmeal, half a bagel with some cream cheese or even peanut butter, a sliced apple with an ounce of cheese or even eight ounces of yogurt with some granola sprinkled on top will do the trick.

Bedtime snacks should be a small amount of food, and shouldn’t be more than 200 calories. If you are still finding it hard to get a good night sleep, there might be things you are doing or foods you want to avoid that could keep you from getting your beauty rest.

You want to avoid drinking lots of water. Excessive water intake means waking up more in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Spicy foods, particularly those who are prone to heartburn can keep you up all night tossing and turning. Protein is also something you do not want to consume too much of before bedtime due to the fact that protein contains amino acids which stimulate brain activity.

Eating too much can also play a large factor in falling asleep. Your body continues to breakdown your meal making it impossible for you to fall asleep easily. Caffeine, everyone knows is a stimulant and can amplify the activity of your nervous system, so stay away from anything that has caffeine before bedtime otherwise you will be staying up a lot longer than you anticipated.

If at all possible, you want to eat dinner three hours before your anticipated bedtime. These are merely suggestions, should you really have any problems falling asleep, you might consider seeing a doctor.