If you’re one of those people who enjoy having breakfast for dinner, we have good news for you. According to nutrition specialist Uma Naidoo, M.D., author of This Is Your Brain on Food, eating breakfast for dinner can help you sleep better.
Before you get too excited, Naidoo isn’t talking about sweet treats like pancakes and muffins. What she’s really talking about is putting a breakfast omelet on your dinner time menu. The reason for this is that eggs are naturally abundant in melatonin, a hormone produced naturally by the body that is vital for sleep. Studies show that the hormone can help you fall asleep faster and longer, and it might even enhance REM sleep. Eggs also contain L-ornithine, an amino acid that has been shown to help improve sleep quality.
All of this is to say that while eggs are thought of as a breakfast food, they actually make a great bedtime snack. Plus, if you fill the omelet with other melatonin-rich foods such as asparagus, broccoli, walnuts, and flax seeds, you’ll have a meal that will set you up perfectly for a good night’s sleep.
Additional source: National Library of Medicine – Randomised controlled trial of the effects of L-ornithine on stress markers and sleep quality in healthy workers
