Boil
Bananas Before Bed, Drink the Liquid and You Won’t Believe
What Happens to Your Sleep
We’ve all had those restless
nights of tossing and turning, staring at the ceiling, unable to
get more than a couple hours of shuteye. The more you worry
about not sleeping, the more your mind races, and next thing you
know, the sun is peeking through the window. I’ve spent one too
many nights this way and needed to put an end to my poor
sleeping patterns. I came across this delicious tea recipe and
it improved my cycle completely.
Irregular sleeping patterns or even insomnia can stem from
several different things like depression, stress and anxiety.
Almost every night, I would get into bed and my mind would be
racing. Whether I was thinking about work, family, or simply the
things I needed to get done the next day, I just couldn’t allow
myself to relax. If your mind is active, chances are you won’t
fall asleep.
Certain medications can also cause insomnia. Pain medications,
antihistamines, and heart and blood pressure medicines are among
the many that contribute to sleep loss. Yes, some meds might
actually make you drowsy at first, but they can also trigger
frequent bathroom trips or anxiety which can further disturb
your rest.
Whether it’s one of these issues or maybe it’s that you’re
addicted to your phone when you should be sleeping, something
needs to change.
Banana Tea
Using only a couple items that are
likely already in your kitchen, you can whip together a banana
tea in no time! This organic, banana-infused sleep remedy works
wonders and tastes so good. How does it work? Bananas, especially the
peels, are loaded with potassium and magnesium. While magnesium
helps prevent sleep disturbances,
both magnesium and potassium work together to help relax
muscles. In fact, magnesium is one of the best minerals for
relaxation! Keep in mind, this recipe calls for 100% organic
bananas. Bananas that are not organic are loaded with harmful
pesticides and since we encourage you to eat the boiled peel, it
must be chemical-free.
This tea takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and can be
enjoyed every night before bed.
Ingredients
1
organic banana
1
small pot of water
a
dash of cinnamon (optional)
All
you need to do is cut off both ends of the banana and place it,
peel and all, into boiling water. Boil it for around 10 minutes.
Using a colander, pour the water into a mug. If you’re feeling
adventurous, sprinkle the cinnamon into the tea. Drink it one
hour before bed time.
If
you’re worried about being wasteful, you’ve clearly never had a
boiled banana before! After the banana has been boiled, sprinkle
some cinnamon over it. Eating the warm, gooey fruit and its peel
along with the tea will increase its soothing effects… Not to
mention it makes a yummy dessert!
Why Sleeping Pills Are Bad
Out
of despair, many of us have resorted to sleeping pills and with
almost half of the American population suffering from insomnia
or poor sleep, it’s no wonder. But here’s the thing: sleeping
pills cannot help you long-term. They provide a short-term fix.
The
majority of sleeping pills are a specific type of drug that
induces and maintains sleep. They’re classified as something
called sedative hypnotics. Among other sedative hypnotic drugs
are benzodiazepines and barbiturates. Benzodiazepines—like Xanax
and Valium—can be addictive and are used to treat anxiety
disorders by increasing drowsiness. Barbiturates depress the
central nervous system are used as anesthetics and sedatives.
As
with all drugs, there’s a list of side effects that accompany
sleeping pills. Aside from the likeliness of them being
habit-forming, they can cause the following:
Constipation
Dizziness
Difficulty focusing and remembering
Stomach pain
Weakness
Uncontrollable shaking
Parasomnias (Doing things without realizing it… Scary!)
Sleeping pills also cause your breathing rhythm to slow down and
significantly lighten. This means that if you’re already
suffering from lung diseases like COPD or even asthma, these
meds can be dangerous and even fatal.
When your body doesn’t get enough rest, generally less than
eight hours, it suffers. Cognitive function—your long- and
short-term memory—is seriously affected. Have you ever tried to
focus on a task while running on zero fuel? I have and I know
it’s near impossible. Processing even the simplest things seems
challenging and your emotional responses to things become
totally skewed. The scariest part is that sleep deprivation has
been linked to serious health problems including obesity,
diabetes and cancer.
It’s important to figure out why you’re not sleeping the way you
used to and work on fixing it. I now look forward to this tea
each night; it’s 100% natural, it smells and tastes great, and
it has worked tremendously for me.
