Trouble Sleeping?

A significant 35% of U.S. adults admit to sleeping less than the recommended 7 hours on average. For optimal functioning, adults typically require 7-9 hours of sleep per night. If you’ve explored various strategies to improve your sleep, consider this unexpected one — pecans.

Researchers from California’s Loma Linda University conducted a study to understand how nut consumption affects brain activity, using an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brain activity in participants who regularly ate pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds, cashews, and peanuts.

Nuts, rich in flavonoids, can positively impact memory and learning by influencing the hippocampus part of the brain. They enhance blood flow to the brain and stimulate the generation of new neurons.

Pecans, almonds, and walnuts stand out as excellent sources of tryptophan, a precursor to melatonin—the hormone regulating sleep-wake cycles. A mere 1 oz serving of almonds packs approximately 77 mg of melatonin.

Various nuts were found to increase delta and gamma waves in the brain, associated with deep sleep, perception, REM sleep, and information processing.

Pecans topped the list for boosting both delta and gamma waves, while pistachios generated the highest levels of gamma waves. Walnuts exhibited the highest antioxidant levels, followed by pecans and cashews.

For a potential sleep aid, try incorporating pecans into your dinner or evening snack routine.

An interesting  fact: the melatonin content in roasted nuts is generally LOWER than in raw nuts – except for peanuts, where roasting INCREASED  melatonin content significantly.

So, next time you’re struggling with sleep, consider reaching for a handful of Natural Better Halves Pecans to enhance your chances of a restful night.

Sources: aliveandfit.ca and chop5.com