Regular readers of this insomnia blog know that I am not a huge fan of melatonin supplements when it comes to treating insomnia.
There are ways to naturally increase your melatonin levels, though.
One way is by eating more tropical fruits. A small clinical crossover study out of Thailand selected 30 healthy volunteers and gave each of them one fruit to eat each week.
Researchers then measured levels of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (a marker of melatonin) in the urine of the volunteers.
It was found that those who ate pineapples, bananas and oranges saw significant increases in levels of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin.
Those who ate pineapples saw an increase of 266%, those who ate bananas saw an increase of 180% and those who ate oranges saw an increase of 47%.
Hopefully we'll see some additional research in the near future to help determine just how important these fruits may be for those who struggle with sleep.
In the meantime, here a sleep-inducing popsicle recipe that includes banana and orange.
Source: J Agric Food Chem.
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Last updated: August 12, 2015
