Natural Sleep Remedy - Raw or Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Improve your Quality of Sleep - A Natural Home Sleep Remedy

Do you have trouble falling asleep at night in spite of being tired? Or do you wake up during the night?  Lack of sleep over an extended period of time not only affects your mental health and cognitive abilities, but also wears on your physical health as well.

Sleep Better Naturally

A natural solution to sleep disorders is clearly a better choice for your health than over the counter or prescription drugs.


As odd as it may seem, eating pumpkin seeds regularly and in particular before bedtime will help you to sleep.  Pumpkin seeds are an exceptionally high source of tryptophan.  Tryptohan is a natural substance, an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein.  Tryptohan helps the brain to manufacture the hormone/neurotransmitter seratonin.  Seratonin is the chemical that helps you to maintain a "happy feeling". It keeps your moods under control, calms anxiety, and helps you sleep.
Low levels of seratonin in your system can lead to insomnia and fatigue.

When you combine tryptophan with a carbohydrate, you will find that you will fall asleep relatively quickly and reduce the time awakened in the middle of the night by about 50%.

Pumpkin seeds, with their high content of trypotophan, have a calming effect on the body, which in turn reduces anxiety and stress, allows for improved mental function, and increased, more relaxed sleep.
Making a habit of eating pumpkin seeds, whether you eat raw pumpkin seeds or roasted pumpkin seeds will be beneficial to you in other ways. The health benefits of pumpkin seeds are many.

Other Nutritional Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds

Protein and Essential Fatty Acids – Pumpkin seeds are high in both. Essential fatty acids provide numerous health benefits: protection against, high blood pressure, arthritis, and cancer, and promote healthy skin.

Vitamins – The high amount of Vitamin A, C and E contribute to healthy glowing skin. A cup of pumpkin seeds per day will keep your skin hydrated and nourished and help prevent wrinkles.  Additionally the beta-carotene in pumpkin seeds is an antioxidant and can provide relief from
inflamtion, without the side effects of anti-inflammatory medications.

Minerals – Pumpkin seeds are a good dietary source of magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, and zinc.

Phytosterols – Pumpkin seeds have a significant amount of this compound which acts to reduce cholesterol in you blood and is therefore helpful in reducing the risk heart disease.

Prostate Health – Men who eat pumpkin seeds regularly reported reduced symptoms of BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) which causes urinary problems, particularly in men over age 50.

Eat Raw Pumpkin Seeds or Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

From a total health perspective, like many fruits and vegetables, it is better to eat raw pumpkin seeds than roasted pumpkin seeds.  However, if you prefer the taste of roasted pumpkin seeds you will be more likely to eat more of them.

That being said, here is a very easy recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

You can use store bought raw pumpkin seeds, or the seeds removed from a fresh pumpkin.  In the latter case, you should wash the seeds in cool water before the pulp dries on the seeds.

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• In a bowl, toss the seeds with some olive oil, until they are lightly coated.  Here is where you can get creative.  The basic version is to add salt and toss some more.  However, you can try garlic salt instead, or minced garlic with regular sea salt. Or you can try then coated with cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Spread the seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet.
  Non-stick cooking spray is fine too.
• Sprinkle with salt (coarse salt works great) and bake in the oven
  for about 25 minutes.  Remove from oven after about 10 minutes, to
  check and stir the pumpkin seeds.
• Let them cool and store in an airtight container.

Here's wishing you a better night's sleep, naturally.  Make pumpkin seeds a regular part of your diet.  You should sleep better, allowing your body to have more time to repair itself to better health. You will reap the other health benefits of pumpkin seeds as well.

What seasonings have you used on pumpkin seeds? Would love to hear some recommendations!