The Sleep Smoothie – A natural and yummy way to help your child sleep

This Sleep Smoothie is wonderful, and as a mom I love how healthy it is for my boys in addition to helping them relax. Sleep. It seems like kids are either great sleepers or it’s the bane of the parent’s existence. Our lives have been controlled by our boy’s sleep (and lack there of) schedules. So when we find a something that works for helping kids sleep, I tend to get really excited.

The Sleep Smoothie - The natural, healty and yummy way to help your child asleep

Preston is a great sleeper. He falls asleep quickly and sleeps through the night. The only issue is that he is an early riser.

Jackson is another story.

Sleep is something that Jackson has struggled with since he was an infant. He has never been a great sleeper. He’s gifted and a big thinker. He is also a night owl. So the evenings are when his mind is in high gear and some of his greatest work is done. He has written and illustrated 8 graphic novels during his evening down time. Nighttime is when he is ready to learn, create and go, go, go! The mornings? It’s like poking a hibernating bear.

But that’s not optimal, so I am always looking for ways to help adjust his internal clock and help him fall asleep a little earlier. I also need something to help him on days when his anxiety is intense and preventing him from calming down and resting.

As you can imagine we have been trying things for his whole life. Many parents of gifted kids have similar sleep stories to ours. It’s a never ending struggle, but recently we discovered something that, although not a miracle, does seem to help him settle and fall asleep earlier…

The Sleep Smoothie!

It’s a simple smoothie that we serve at supper time and it really helps my son find a sense of calmness and peace so he can fall asleep more easily.

Here is the sleep smoothie recipe if you want to give it a try!

1 Banana
1/2 Cup Yogurt
2 Cups Frozen Cherries
1/2 Cup Frozen Mango
1 – 2 Cups Milk (depending how thick you like it)

Sometimes we also add a bit of chocolate syrup or a chocolate instant breakfast mix. Who doesn’t like a little chocolate in their smoothie? Especially chocolate with cherries and mango? Divine!

Throw it all in the blender until smooth, and if your kids are anything like mine it MUST be served with a bendy straw.

This recipe is very adaptable. You can add other berries if you wish or substitute with other milk types. Almond milk would be a great addition, I just can’t use it due to allergies.

Here is a bit about how these different ingredients help promote sleep.

Cherries are one of the only foods with natural melatonin, a hormone that controls our sleep cycles.

Bananas are rich in potassium, magnesium and tryptophan, all excellent for helping induce sleep. Magnesium helps to calm the mind and relax the muscles. It not only helps with falling asleep but also helps with the quality and duration of sleep. Magnesium can also help with growing pains.

Mangoes are also rich in potassium and magnesium.

Milk and yogurt are rich in calcium and L-tryptophan which helps in the production of melatonin.

The Sleep Smoothie is quick, simple and tastes amazing!

On days when the boys are really struggling with anxiety we whip up these smoothies and it always seems to help calm them down so they can sleep a little easier. Plus, look at all the goodness we are getting into them!

Happy smoothies and snoozing!