There’s nothing better than putting your dishes from dinner in the sink and pulling out the dessert. Whether it’s a cookie or a piece of cake or just the nibble of a chocolate bar, reining in a sweet tooth after a savory meal is almost a necessity for most of us.
The problem is, the high sugar content from most desserts can give us a sudden rush of energy and negatively impact the quality of your sleep. And that’s not good if you’re trying to hit the hay not too long after you dig in to your indulgence.
If only there was a dessert that not only curbs your sweet tooth, but makes it easier to fall asleep after.
Of course, we couldn’t present this problem and not offer a solution! There is an ice cream god (a few of them, actually) who created a frozen treat called Nightfood, and it’s exactly the food that you never knew you needed in your life until now.
Don’t worry, this isn’t a gimmicky product that people just slapped a fun name. It really does work. The ice cream was actually created by a team of sleep and nutrition experts: Dr. Michael Breus, Dr. Lauren Broch and Dr. Michael Grandner. (Those are the ice cream gods!)
So what exactly makes Nightfood give you a better night’s sleep? The creators of the innovative treat “[removed/minimized] stuff that’s in most other ice creams that be sleep disruptive,”—like sugar, or even caffeine, which can surprisingly be found in most chocolate flavors.
The recipes for Nightfood were strategically created to be “less likely to cause sleep disruption via lactose digestion issues, acid reflux, [and] blood sugar spikes,“ according to the creators, and include “minerals and amino acids that research suggests can support sleep quality,” such as magnesium citrate, calcium citrate, and zinc citrate.
We don’t want to give you the wrong idea, though. A scoop of this ice cream before bed won’t give you the same reaction as popping a sleeping pill would; it simply makes it easier for you to drift off into dreamland.
“We looked at everything through the prism of sleep,” Fast Company founder Sean Folkson says. “It’s not about, like, dropping an Ambien or some sleep aid into the product; it’s about making ice cream in a way that’s less disruptive.”
There are eight delicious flavors, all with fun nighttime-related names: Full Moon Vanilla, Midnight Chocolate, After Dinner Mint Chip, Cold Brew Decaf, Cookies n’ Dreams, Milk and Cookie Dough, Cherry Eclipse, and Bed and Breakfast. Holy yum!
You can purchase the ice cream online for just $5.99 a pint. Since it has to be sent to you in a cooler with dry ice and special handling, shipping costs are a bit higher than normal. However, the company offers a flat fee of just $9 when you order 20 or more pints or more (vs. up to $35 for smaller quantities). Now you have a solid excuse to try all eight!
Do you struggle with falling asleep after eating a sugar-laden dessert? Would you ever try Nightfood ice cream? Which flavor sounds the most appealing to you?