上周早些時候，我們得知，睡眠不足可能縮短人的壽命。這不是好消息，對那些需要多睡睡可就是睡不著的人來說更是不妙。

雖然有很多醫療手段和本草藥方有助于緩解睡眠問題，但改變飲食能更有效地幫你入睡。以下是五種有助于睡眠的健康食物。

紅薯

“紅薯富含鉀、鎂和鈣，它們能幫你放松身體。” 美國生活類雜志《好管家》的營養主管杰克琳?倫敦說。她建議睡前吃塊烤紅薯來代替其他食物。

香蕉

據印度電視臺NDTV報道，香蕉中含有大量的鎂和鉀，它們都有助于松弛肌肉，幫助你進入夢鄉。

堅果

如果你不喜歡吃香蕉，NDTV建議吃杏仁，因為杏仁含有鎂，適合作為睡前零食。《好管家》也是出于同樣的原因推薦了開心果（它同時含有維生素B6），但又警告睡前不能吃太多，不要超過一盎司（約合0.6兩）。

乳制品

假如你是失眠癥患者，可能對這種治療失眠的方法很熟悉：喝杯溫牛奶。事實證明，任何奶制品都有這種功效。美國期刊《讀者文摘》建議，睡前吃點搭配奶酪的脆餅干或者干脆喝一杯酸奶。乳制品中含有鈣和色氨酸，而鈣能幫助大腦利用色氨酸制造有助于睡眠的褪黑素。

生菜

《讀者文摘》還推薦了一種吸引人的食物：生菜。晚飯吃生菜沙拉有助于睡眠。因為生菜里含有萵苣苦素（萵苣阿片的有效成分），這種物質有鎮靜作用，會像鴉片一樣影響大腦。

祝你好夢！（財富中文網）

譯者: Pessy

審校：夏林

Earlier this week we learned that sleep deprivation could be shaving years off our lives. That’s not good news for anyone, but it’s especially troublesome for people who want to get more sleep but are having trouble physically doing so.

While there are plenty of medical and herbal aids to help combat sleeplessness, altering your diet can also help you drift off more efficiently. Below, five healthy foods that have been linked to a better night's sleep.

Sweet potatoes

"Sweet potatoes are great sources of potassium, magnesium, and calcium to help you relax,” nutrition director Jaclyn London told Good Housekeeping. She suggests swapping a baked sweet potato for whatever you eat right before going to bed.

Banana

The fruit contains a good amount of magnesium and potassium, both of which can help your muscles relax and help you catch some Zs, reports NDTV.

Nuts

If you're not a banana fan, NDTV also suggests almonds as a good before-bed snack, thanks to their magnesium content. Good Housekeeping recommends Pistachios for the same reason (they also have vitamin B6), but warns against consuming more than an ounce before bed.

Dairy

If you're an insomniac, you're also probably familiar with the idea that drinking a warm glass of milk will solve the problem. Turns out, any milk product will do the trick. Reader’s Digest suggests breaking out the cheese and crackers before bed, or even a cup of yogurt. Calcium found in dairy products will help the brain use the tryptophan found in dairy to help make sleep-inducing melatonin.

Lettuce

Another interesting suggestion from Reader’s Digest: Lettuce. Having a salad with dinner can help you snooze thanks to lactucarium. Found in lettuce, it has sedative properties and can affect the brain similar to opium.

Sweet dreams!