Health and fitness for every body
In the UK, energy prices have risen dramatically and there is a cost-of-living crisis as well. So the majority of us have been looking for ways to decrease our energy costs by reducing our use of our heating whilst still trying to stay as warm as possible over the freezing winter months!
Heated blankets and throws have become much more popular and can make it less likely that you have to turn the heating on, but did you know that what you eat can also have an impact on your body temperature?
It can be difficult to warm up after getting in bed, which consequently makes it harder to get to sleep but most of us are currently very reluctant to turn on the heating.
However, the sleep experts at Bed Kingdom have highlighted six of the best foods to have as a late-night snack that will naturally heat up your body as well as help to induce sleep!
Having nuts before bed, such as peanuts, almonds, and pistachios, can increase the speed of your metabolism and raise your body heat, therefore warming you up for bed. As well as this, these nuts contain melatonin, a natural hormone that helps to control your sleep cycle and therefore helps you get some shut-eye.
It’s no coincidence that cinnamon is associated with winter – thanks to its thermogenic properties that increase our body’s heat when it’s cold, it’s perfect to consume before bed. Having a sprinkle of cinnamon in a glass of milk at night time won’t just heat you up, but due to the tryptophan in milk which induces sleep, you’ll also find it easier to rest.
Oats may be something that you would normally have at the start of the day, but they have several benefits that prove useful for bedtime. They are slow to break down in your body due to being high in bran and fibre, and this slow digestion releases warming energy. Plus, this food also contains melatonin to improve your sleep.
Filled with vitamin B and magnesium, bananas help with the functioning of your thyroid and adrenal glands, thus regulating your body temperature in cold weather. In fact, the high levels of magnesium don’t just keep you warm, but they also help your muscles to relax and calm your body to ensure you get to sleep easily.
Ginger is another excellent food you can consume to warm you up before you catch some Zs. With the vasodilating properties in ginger, your blood vessels are relaxed which contributes to an increased blood flow helping your body to heat up. Opt for ginger tea – and if you’re suffering from a stuffy nose due to the weather, this will ease that to help you sleep better.
Being a root vegetable, carrots cause your body to heat up due to the necessity for more energy during digestion. And while some vegetables may not be the best thing to consume before you try to get some shut-eye, carrots are one of the vegetables that will promote sleep as they contain the alpha-carotene nutrient as well as potassium.
While there are several foods that can keep you toasty, there are others that will do quite the opposite – so when you’re trying to warm up before you go to sleep, there are some foods, in particular, you should try to avoid.
A spokesperson from Bed Kingdom has commented: “It’s that time of the year where switching the heating on is essential, but with the price of energy at the minute, it’s no doubt that many people across the UK will be avoiding doing so. Fortunately, there are some ways to heat up without having to add more money to the energy bill, one of these being with certain foods to eat before heading to bed.”
