Beddy Bye snacks for Insomniacs

[maggiethecat]

I caught this on Yahoo today: 8 Foods That Will Make You Sleepy Warm milk is contraindicated, pretzels rule.

I'm a lifelong insomniac. I need all the help I can get. Do any of you have a sleepy time snack that's better than three fingers of Scotch?

ETA to add the list here:

1. Nonfat popcorn

2. Oatmeal with sliced banana

3. 1 cup plain yogurt with 2T mixed nuts

4. A pile of sesame seeds

5. Handful of pretzels

6. 1 glass of wine

7. 4 oz. glass of unsweetened cherry juice

8. Red bell peppers

Edited September 24, 2009 by heidih
Fix link; add list (log)

[Pierogi]

Scotch is *always* good, but in the interest of temperance (and/or sobriety....) there's the cliched yet tryptophan rich turkey sandwich. Or just a nibble on some cooked turkey. Always good for a post-prandial snooze.

[maggiethecat]

Scotch is *always* good, but in the interest of temperance (and/or sobriety....) there's the cliched yet tryptophan rich turkey sandwich. Or just a nibble on some cooked turkey. Always good for a post-prandial snooze.

I've read some high falutin' medical stuff somewhere that denies the turkey/tryptophan theory. But I agree: if you're making yourself a turkey sandwich you've probably cooked your ass of at Thanksgiving or Christmas, and the turkey sandwich before bedtime is the best and most calming thing you've eaten all day.(Cranberry sauce and stuffing garnish, please!)

So lovely.

Double edit: Much as I love Scotch, the turkey sandwich's liquid partner is a glass of milk. Or ginger ale.

Edited September 24, 2009 by maggiethecat (log)

[petite tête de chou]

I find a banana with a small glass of chocolate soy milk relaxes me enough to fall asleep. And I'm out of chocolate soy milk as my 1:40 am posting will attest to.

[Darienne]

I caught this on Yahoo today: 8 Foods that will Make you Sleepy. Warm milk is contraindicated, pretzels rule.

I'm a lifelong insomniac. I need all the help I can get. Do any of you have a sleepy time snack that's better than three fingers of Scotch?

Hard to get excited about their list. Red peppers? Popcorn without butter? Yummmm

My fave: a cup of decaf coffee with a jigger of vodka and Panama Jack in it. Substitute your favorite liqueur in the mix. The heat. Good. The booze. Good. The yummy taste. Very good. The only drawback is the intake of calories. Not good.

For really really special occasions: The coffee goes into the blender and the booze is added. Froths it up real good.

[Lilija]

I've always turned to a peanut butter sandwich. Just a gob of PB on a slice of bread, folded. Usually with a glass of milk. A bowl of cereal is nice, too. Lately, in the interest of calories, I've been having my peanut butter on Wasa Light Rye crispbreads, and that's really good, I think I like it better than the actual bread. If I'm starving, I have a banana along with it, or in my cereal.

[Lindsey]

Only had this horrid affliction in the last year or so, words fail me as to it's horror. Only thing that does anything for me is a mug of proper Cocoa at the right temperature to sort of cuddle and sip. More a comfort thing I feel.

[Jenni]

I do not know why this works for me, as surely the huge amount of sugar should make you very awake, but in Jodhpur, whenever I was out late-ish evening I would treat myself to hot milk with a few jalebis. Hot milk always sends me off to sleep, and it also helps makes jalebis a little less teeth achingly sweet. I think this would probably work better as a breakfast treat though!

[Darienne]

I do not know why this works for me, as surely the huge amount of sugar should make you very awake, but in Jodhpur, whenever I was out late-ish evening I would treat myself to hot milk with a few jalebis. Hot milk always sends me off to sleep, and it also helps makes jalebis a little less teeth achingly sweet. I think this would probably work better as a breakfast treat though!

Thanks, Jenni. A new word, jalebi, for me. Looked up the definition and some recipes.

Do you eat them now, assuming you are not in Jodhpur anymore? Do you make them yourself, or are they something which one normally buys ready-made, or both? Find in an Asian marketplace? I think I'll try making some.

[Jenni]

Hi Darriene (again!),

I do not make them myself as I do not deep fry things at home. My reasoning is that if I don't make such things at home, I can indulge occassionally outside of the home because they are not a regular thing! Also, I think I will leave jalebis to the professionals, as I am not sure how easy they are to make!

In India I would buy them from a sweet shop, and here in the UK they can sometimes be bought in Indian grocery stores. Or if you go to some kind of Indian festival, sometimes they will have them. For instance, I had some yesterday at Bristol Asian Festival. If you live in an area with a good Indian community, I am sure you can find someone to guide you to a good place for Indian sweets!

[nibor]

I don't have trouble falling asleep, but sometimes find myself awake again, say at 2. Time for Egg in the Hole. Giving some of the runny part to the cat helps get everyone settled back down.

[maggiethecat]

nibor: that's so great, especially the kitty part. I've been known to have a bowl of Joe's Os (Trader Joe's better than Cheerios at half the price) if I'm awake and hungry at three am. I put the bowl on my bedside table and hear my cats licking up the milk. Then they curl up behind my knees and purr, which is a good sleepy-time thing, as is rain on the roof and the rumble of a train.

But I like your idea of getting out of bed and cooking. We call it "Egg in a Hat" here, but I agree that the small effort it requires for protein , carbs and peace might do the trick.

[Tri2Cook]

I never have trouble sleeping. It's usually difficult for me to get more than a couple pages of whatever I'm reading finished before the book hits me in the face. However, number two from the list, oatmeal with sliced banana, is my breakfast almost every morning. Maybe the effect is time released?

[snowangel]

Number one on the list is leftover Thai curry over rice (nuked ).

Number two would be cold cereal with milk. I drink the leftover milk, since we can't have cats (allergies).

[bwv544]

hot rice porridge.

warm gumbo, grits, polenta, chili....

i think the theme for me is warm mush. it seems to help....i drink cold beverages (cold milk, soda) if i'm pulling an all-nighter.

[pastameshugana]

Warm milk w/honey - it's magic! Much more so if it's good honey...

[haresfur]

I don't have trouble falling asleep, but sometimes find myself awake again, say at 2. Time for Egg in the Hole. Giving some of the runny part to the cat helps get everyone settled back down.

This brings up an issue in my house. I'm pretty sure the Dalmatian has learned to equate late night activity with food and has been waking me up in hopes of getting her midnight snack.

I tend to go for sweet and easy. Pie is perfect but lacking that (dog gets crust), fruit jelly candy does ok (dog gets a biscuit).

[nibor]

nibor: that's so great, especially the kitty part. I've been known to have a bowl of Joe's Os (Trader Joe's better than Cheerios at half the price) if I'm awake and hungry at three am. I put the bowl on my bedside table and hear my cats licking up the milk. Then they curl up behind my knees and purr, which is a good sleepy-time thing, as is rain on the roof and the rumble of a train. But I like your idea of getting out of bed and cooking. We call it "Egg in a Hat" here, but I agree that the small effort it requires for protein , carbs and peace might do the trick.

Maggie - Let me know how it works out.

[nibor]

I don't have trouble falling asleep, but sometimes find myself awake again, say at 2. Time for Egg in the Hole. Giving some of the runny part to the cat helps get everyone settled back down.

This brings up an issue in my house. I'm pretty sure the Dalmatian has learned to equate late night activity with food and has been waking me up in hopes of getting her midnight snack. I tend to go for sweet and easy. Pie is perfect but lacking that (dog gets crust), fruit jelly candy does ok (dog gets a biscuit).

Our pets definitely manipulate us to get food, but that is fodder for another thread perhaps. My cat is 19 and in renal failure; on an empty stomach he starts barfing towards morning as a consequence of his disease. I am happy to get up and have eggs with him. A pleasure soon to be only a memory.

[Peter the eater]

Hmmm . . . I think full belly in general is good for sleepiness. I crash well after a carbo-loading late dinner, whether it's preparation for an active tomorrow or purely recreational. I recall some physiological explanation about blood getting diverted from the limbs to the GI tract for digestion, which is why running on a full stomach can induce vomiting.

A hot mug of non-caffeinated tea is also good. Cheaper than three fingers of single malt.

[John Rosevear]

My perennial favorite is popcorn with a little too much butter (Kate's, please -- I love that all my local supermarkets here in MA carry it now) and salt. Nothing like a big load of carbs and fat at bedtime...