A late-night snack made for sleeping (Julie’s better-sleep experiment, Part 13)

Read Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9| 10 | 11 | 12

Americans spend a lot of money on products designed to give them energy and keep them awake, most notably caffeine—from a morning Starbucks Caramel Macchiato to a late-night Red Bull. It’s virtually impossible to walk into a convenience store in this country these days and not see a display of those little bottles of 5-hour Energy (itself a mix of caffeine, B vitamins, amino acids and other “essential nutrients”).

But food and beverage companies have been slower to offer products designed to help people sleep. That’s changing.

In 2009, Dream Water hit the market. It contains three ingredients designed to promote sleep and relaxation: GABA (or gamma-aminobutryic acid, a naturally occurring amino acid that the company says calms the body’s nervous system), melatonin (a naturally occurring hormone that aids in the regulation of sleep and wake cycles) and 5-HTP (or 5-hydroxytryptophan, an amino acid the body produces from tryptophan and converts to serotonin, which helps regulate mood, hunger and sleep, according to the company).

Dream Water, available in 2.5-ounce bottles, comes in three flavors: Snoozeberry (pomegranate and blueberry), Lullaby Lemon and Pineapple PM, all with zero calories.

For people who have trouble falling asleep, the makers suggest drinking a bottle of Dream Water 20 to 40 minutes before bedtime. If you have trouble staying asleep, they recommend keeping a bottle by the bedside and drinking it if you wake up in the middle of the night. The company’s website notes that the tiny bottles are airport-security friendly, making them good for long flights and red-eyes.

(Disclaimer: One of my sleep-related problems is that I get up too many times during the night to go to the bathroom, so Dream Water isn’t a product I would use often. But if that’s not an issue for you, you might want to give it a try.)

Sleep experts, including Dr. Robert Oexman, the director of Kingsdown’s Sleep to Live Institute who has been helping me with my sleep troubles, sometimes recommend that a person have a small high-carbohydrate, low-fat snack before bed.

Such advice was behind the creation of NightFood, a snack bar created by Sean Folkson with the help of Abunda Functional Foods. The Cookies ’n’ Cream flavored bars have 150 calories each, 26 grams of carbs, 4 grams of fat and 6 grams of protein. They are similar in taste and texture to the myriad bars that people frequently eat for a burst of energy before the gym or substitute for a meal while on the go.

A key ingredient is Chocamine, a caffeine-free chocolate extract that helps “decrease hunger, improve mood and aid in relaxation,” according to Folkson. The bars also include inulin, a fiber that helps people feel full.

In the mattress industry, our goal is to make sure people get a good night’s sleep so they can be well-rested and productive the next morning. Having a sleep-inducing snack and beverage before bed seems far better than loading up on caffeine to stay awake the following day.