My mom likes to tell a story about how, as a two-year-old, I slept through the worst typhoon in Guam history. My wife is jealous of my ability to fall fast asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow. My talent for snoozing even served me well during a six-year stint in the Navy onboard a noisy, overheated submarine.
That said, today’s blog entry won’t be helpful to me, but it might be helpful for those of you who find yourself tossing and turning on a regular basis.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania spent countless hours analyzing the correlation between sleep and nutrition – including data contained in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) – and found that people who sleep better tend to eat foods that are high in lycopene, Vitamin C, and water.
Guess which food is a fantastic source of all three of those key ingredients. That’s right, watermelon.
A MensHealth.com article on the topic notes that people who get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night tend to be the healthiest. The article also points out that “people who ate a more varied diet were more likely to be “normal” sleepers (about 18 foods versus 14 in the shortest sleepers).”
I can’t say for sure if my love of watermelon is responsible for my peaceful slumber, but it’s nice to know that A) I’m getting enough sleep and B) I’m eating foods that might help me continue that trend. Now, if those University of Pennsylvania researchers can figure out what I can eat to make me snore less, my wife might be able to sleep a little more peacefully, too.