The Stress-Busting Tonic This Expert Drinks Nightly For Better Sleep

Blended together, the following foods make a delicious stress-busting sleep tonic that I've been sipping after dinner as a prophylactic against restless nights. Let's take a look at the functional significance of each ingredient:

Here's the rub. Everyone makes smoothies with ice and things like frozen bananas and cold water. I've learned from ayurveda and my clinical and personal experience that warmth and grounding help with sleep and stress tolerance much more than the stimulation of an icy beverage. Try making your smoothie with a base of warm herbal tea instead of cold water or juice. The herbal tea will be blood sugar neutral (in contrast to juice), and the warmth will help lull your body into relaxation or even a sleepy state.

Tart cherries are delicious, not overly sweet, and are a good source of melatonin, which can help promote sleep (sweet Bing cherries contain melatonin, too, but not quite as much). In fact, drinking tart cherry juice before bed has been shown to1 improve sleep duration and quality in both men and women. I like to recommend the whole fruit, though, to prevent blood sugar spikes. If you have a hard time finding the fresh variety, you should be able to find them frozen—just thaw first.

Coconut oil will help keep your blood sugar stable overnight while also adding flavor, texture, and creaminess. Ghee is another way to increase creaminess and blood sugar stabilization. It's also gut healing, which helps decrease systemic inflammation. 

The fat and protein in the almonds will help slow digestion and blunt the blood sugar spike from the cherries. Almonds are also a good source of magnesium (an ounce contains about 20 percent of your daily value), which can help promote relaxation, stress tolerance, and sleep.

Many of us are walking around with deficient levels of selenium. Any nutrient deficiency makes us more prone to stress. It takes about three Brazil nuts a day to get the right amount, and there's no easier way to meet this need than to simply toss them into a smoothie.

Collagen has many benefits, from helping rebuild a damaged gut lining to helping your hair, skin, and nails grow strong and healthy. I try to add it to any smoothie I make because it adds a nice dose of protein (important for stable blood sugar) and thickens things up.

Cinnamon is considered a warming spice in ayurvedic medicine, which can help soothe vata exacerbation and tamp down anxiety levels. I find a little cinnamon helps make a smoothie smell and taste soothing and grounding. Plus, cinnamon has been shown to help balance blood sugar.

Ingredients

Combine all ingredients, and blend until smooth.