Antioxidants and sleep
Many antioxidants are considered therapeutic. Apigenin, which we mentioned earlier in relation to chamomile, is one of these. Antioxidants are often found in fruits and plant-based foods, and most herbal and fruit teas contain them.
Studies on sleep have found that a big part of why we sleep is so our bodies can combat oxidative stress. Antioxidants combat oxidative stress, so research was undertaken to see if, by association, antioxidants would help our slumber. But don’t just take our word for it; here’s a quote from Total Health.
“Taking natural antioxidant supplements as a sleep aid is promising, according to recent research. Scientists have discovered that healthy sleep is one of the extra benefits of eating fruit or taking concentrated fruit extract supplements. Antioxidants have already been proven to help with those pesky free radicals that age you and weaken your immune system.”
To back up the relationship between antioxidants and sleep, a full-scale study was published by the Mediators of Inflammationjournal. This study identified that despite only a few studies having been completed, the results are promising:
“To date, relatively few studies have investigated the interrelationship between inflammation, oxidative stress, and antioxidants with sleep quality. In one such study, adherence to a kiwi diet (2 kiwi/night for 4 weeks), a fruit rich in vitamins C and E and serotonin, improved sleep onset and duration. Another similar study found that tart cherry juice, rich in vitamins A and C, improved sleep quality, suggesting increased melatonin levels as a possible mechanism for this effect.”
Drinks that contain antioxidants:
- Decaf green tea
- Herbal tea
- Pomegranate juice
- Matcha
