Secrets Of Nyenyak Sleep, Try Consumption Of Kiwi Fruits Before Sleep

Illustration of kiwi fruit (Freepic)

JAKARTA - Do you often have trouble sleeping or feel that the quality of sleep is not good? Maybe it's time to try a natural solution, namely eating kiwi fruit before bed.

Reporting from the Mirror page, a recent study published in the journal Nutrients by a team of researchers from Ireland showed that consumption of kiwi fruit one hour before sleep can help a person sleep faster, soundly, and longer.

Not only that, this bright green fruit is also proven to help physically recover, especially for those who are physically active like athletes. Kiwi turns out to contain a combination of important substances that play a very important role in the sleep process, including:

- Melatonin: A natural hormone that regulates sleep cycles.

- Serotonin: Help calm the mind and support a stable mood.

- Antioxidant & Folate: Reduce oxidative stress and support the nervous system, which ultimately improves sleep quality.

With this complete content, it is not surprising that kiwi is referred to as a 'superfood' for sleep. This research involved 15 athletes who were asked to consume two medium-sized kiwis every night, one hour before bed, for one month. The results are surprising, namely:

- Their average sleep duration increases 53 minutes every night.

- Sleep efficiency increased from 86% to 93%.

-Frequence woke up at night drastically decreased.

- Waktu terjaga setelah tidur juga berkuran.

- Stress levels, both related to daily and sporting activities, have decreased significantly.

With better sleep quality, the athletes also showed improved physical and mental performance.

One of the advantages of kiwi is the ease of consuming it. You can eat it directly, mix it into a smoothie, add it to fruit salads, or make a healthy dessert. Importantly, consume about an hour before bed to get optimal benefits.

Although kiwi is in the spotlight in this study, there are many other foods that can also help improve sleep quality. Some of them are almonds, bananas, warm milk, foammeal, and chamomile tea, all of which contain sleeping support nutrition such as magnesium, tryptophan, and melatonin.