As temperatures plummet once again many of us are facing a battle to keep warm. Rising heating costs mean putting the thermostat up a few degrees can be costly.
But there are other ways to keep warmer, according to sleep experts Bed Kingdom. And it can be as simple as switching your night-time snack.
They have highlighted six of the best foods to have as a late-night snack that will naturally heat up your body. And these foods will not only help you stay warm but they can also induce sleep.
Foods to help you warm up
Nuts
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.
Cinnamon
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
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.
Bananas
Filled with vitamin B and magnesium, bananas help with the functioning of your thyroid and adrenal glands, thus regulating your body temperature in the 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
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 a ginger tea – and if you’re suffering from a stuffy nose due to the weather, this will ease that to help you sleep better.
Carrots
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.
Cooling foods to avoid before bed
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.
Water-rich fruit and vegetables are known to cool the body, including watermelon, peaches, oranges, celery, and cucumber.
Berries are alkaline, meaning that they generate cold energy and release excess body heat.
Spicy foods such as jalapenos and cayenne peppers surprisingly make us cooler by activating a nerve receptor in our tongue that can recognise heat, thus causing us to sweat and cool us down.
Leafy green vegetables such as kale and cabbage might be healthy, but it’s best to avoid these before bed due to their cooling effect on the body.
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.”
