“Just a banana and go to sleep.” As a child I often heard this statement and, especially after a sleepless night, I often ate a banana before going to sleep. Even now that I am an adult, I believe that a banana before bedtime promotes falling asleep. But is that really so? Time to investigate the how and why.

Why you want to eat a banana before going to sleep

Late in the evening a glass of cola or cup of coffee guarantees a night full of restlessness . Food gives you energy, and drinks with caffeine give you a real pick-me-up. A banana contains relatively many calories for a piece of fruit, especially sugars. But also proteins, and let one specific building block of them be sleep-inducing.

Banana works as a natural sleep aid

Proteins are made up of long combinations of about twenty different building blocks, the amino acids. In your body, the proteins from your diet are broken down into building blocks, and fully used to make the proteins that your body needs to function. One of those amino acids is tryptophan, which is commonly found in yogurt and cottage cheese, cheese, poultry, tuna, oats and, yes, bananas! And to make serotonin, tryptophan is needed. And the more serotonin, the higher the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Indirectly, therefore, bananas act as a natural sleep aid.

Do you really sleep better if you eat a banana in the evening before bed?

Eating a banana before bed does have a positive effect on your night’s sleep. But if you are purely concerned with the production of melatonin, you would be better off taking a handful of almonds or walnuts, which already contain this hormone. In addition to tryptophan, bananas also contain a relatively large amount of potassium and magnesium, which are necessary for the proper functioning of your (muscle) cells. If your potassium and magnesium concentrations are up to par, your muscles are better able to relax. That helps against night cramps, but also to doze off peacefully at all. Yet we eat bananas en masse for breakfast or during the day, but we do not suddenly fall asleep. Eating a banana doesn’t necessarily make you tired during the day either. In the evening, when your body is already preparing for bedtime and also produces melatonin itself, eating a banana can give that extra push to fall asleep quickly. So make sure you have a good mattress if you eat a banana in the evening, before you know it you’ll be in dreamland. Read more about how to fall asleep quickly.

Does a banana for sleeping also work for weight loss?

Losing weight is mainly a matter of putting fewer calories in your mouth than you burn that day. To lose weight, it is often recommended not to eat after dinner and to drink only water. Or if you really have to, a light snack. So not a handful of chips, but an apple. In that case, a banana is certainly an ideal snack. Healthy, tasty, contains few calories and, unlike that apple, it helps you get a better night’s sleep. And we all know that good sleep habits are essential for weight loss.

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