Want better sleep? Try 5 foods naturally rich inmelatonin

凯伦

Melatonin supplements are a great way to get somesleep， but some of the foods in your fridge and pantry may al-ready have the melatonin you need.

Melatonin is defined by the CDC as a neurohormonethat regulates the sleep-wake cycle. And it can be reallyhelpful for stabilizing your sleep pattern. Light， especiallythe blue light from phone screens， can affect melatonin lev-els， says Yo-El Ju， a neurologist and sleep medicine specialistat Washington University in St. Louis.

To combat melatonin deficiency in recent years， more peo-ple began using melatonin supplements as a sleep aid. Accord-ing to a research letter published by JAMA in February of thisyear， prevalence of melatonin use rose t0 2.1% in 2017 t0 2018from 0.4% in 1999 t0 2000.

But in addition to the melatonin that is already producedin the brain， you can get natural doses of the hormone fromyour next snack. "Melatonin is actually present in food，" ac-cording to Ju.

5 foods that are naturally high in melatonin：

Nuts： Walnut seeds were found to have high amounts ofmelatonin， and the hormone is present in other nuts like al-monds， hazelnuts， pumpkin seeds and pistachios， according toa January 2022 study published in the Journal of Food Compo-sition and Analysis.

Fish： Consumption of salmon three times per week for fivemonths was associated with a positive impact on sleep and dai-ly functioning in a small 2014 randomized trial published inthe Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Eggs： Ample amounts of melatonin were measured ineggs， with a higher content of melatonin than meat and otheranimal foods in a 2017 study in the journal Nutrients.

Tart cherries： Tart cherry juice concentrate increased themelatonin levels of study participants and improved sleep qual-ity and duration in a small 2012 study in the European Journalof Nutrition.

Milk： Cow' s milk collected at night had very highamounts of melatonin that could be beneficial for humanhealth， according to a 2019 study in th.e Journal of Applied Ani-mal Research.

服用褪黑素是一種助眠的好方法，但日常生活中的一些食物已经含有人体所需的褪黑素。

美国疾病控制与预防中心将褪黑素定义为调节人体生物钟的神经激素，有稳定作息的作用。圣路易斯华盛顿大学神经学家和睡眠医学专家尤尔·朱表示，光线，特别是手机屏幕上的蓝光，会影响褪黑素水平。

近年来，为了对抗褪黑素缺乏症，越来越多人开始口服褪黑素助眠。美国医学会今年2月公布的一项研究显示，褪黑素服用者的比例从1999年至2000年的0.4%上升至2017年至2018年的2.1%。

但除了大脑产生的褪黑素外，你还可以从食物中补充自然的褪黑素。尤尔·朱称：“实际上，食物中含有褪黑素。”

5种富含褪黑素的食物：

坚果：根据2022年1月发表在《食品成分与分析杂志》上的一项研究，核桃仁含有大量褪黑素，而杏仁、榛子、南瓜籽和开心果等其他坚果中也含有褪黑素。

鱼类：2014年发表于《临床睡眠医学杂志》的一项小型随机试验中，连续五个月每周食用三次三文鱼对睡眠和身体日常功能有积极影响。

鸡蛋：2017年发表在《营养》杂志的一项研究显示，鸡蛋中含有大量褪黑素，其含量高于肉类和其他动物性食品。

酸樱桃：2012年发表在《欧洲营养杂志》的一项小型研究显示，酸樱桃浓缩汁使研究对象体内的褪黑素水平提高，改善了研究对象的睡眠质量和持续时间。

牛奶：根据2019年发表在《应用动物研究杂志》上的一项研究，夜间采集的牛奶富含褪黑素，或有益人体健康。