Want to Sleep Better? Eat This One Food!

Do you have problems falling asleep or staying asleep? Well, you are certainly not alone. The National Sleep Foundation says that more than 30 million Americans suffer from some type of sleep disorder or sleep deficit.

A lack of sleep or poor quality sleep absolutely wreaks havoc on your health. Sleep deprivation can lead to obesity, brain fog, heart disease, memory problems, and impaired driving and work abilities.

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Want to improve you sleep by simply picking up one item at your local supermarket? A 2007 study conducted at the University of Sydney says that eating jasmine rice about 4 hours before you hit the hay will help you sleep better.

Jasmine rice smells so good, you can usually smell it right through the container at the store. It has a slightly nutty flavor and a high glycemic index. This means it will quickly raise your blood sugar, tryptophan, and serotonin levels, which are the hormones that induce sleep.

For this study, scientist tested two types of rice: long grain rice and jasmine rice. They used two groups of healthy men who had no sleep issues. The men were served either jasmine rice or long grain rice with tomato puree and veggies each night for dinner. The group that consumed jasmine rice fell asleep, on average, within 9 minutes. Those that consumed long grain rice took more than 15 minutes before they headed off to dreamland.

The researchers tried altering the time gap between eating the rice and bedtime. This is how they found out that 4 hours was the perfect time frame for the jasmine rice to take effect.

Jasmine rice is the most popular rice in Thailand and Southeast Asia, and is it any wonder why? One sniff makes you think of making rice based dishes for dinner. In Thailand, jasmine rice is often served with coconut and seafood, but you can use jasmine rice in any recipe that uses rice. You will find jasmine rice in both brown and white varieties and both of them taste great, but brown jasmine rice far outweighs white rice in terms of nutritional benefits. Read more about rice.

Just one cup of brown jasmine rice has more than 5 grams of protein, 45 grams of carbohydrates, less than 2 grams of fat, and only about 216 calories. Brown jasmine rice is loaded with vitamins such as B6, niacin, and thiamin, another B vitamin. It’s also loaded with minerals such as magnesium and phosphorus. Rice is a great way to get your fiber. Fiber is important for the control of blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, and preventing constipation. Diets high in fiber are known to lower the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Find out oher fiber rich foods.

Jasmine rice is a great addition to a healthy diet and, to top it all off, it can help you get a good night’s sleep. Time to break out the chopsticks, friends!

Sources:

Scientificamerican.com

Science-community.sciam.com

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