Sleepiness
Bananas contain tryptophan, that amino acid in turkey known for making people sleepy at Thanksgiving. A banana’s carbohydrates block other amino acids from entering the brain, so there is an influx of tryptophan that leads to an increase in the production of serotonin, another sleepiness trigger. Bananas are also high in magnesium, which relaxes the muscles. Bananas contain about 7% of the daily recommended allowance for magnesium, so eating more than a dozen and a half per day will likely trigger an overdose of this mineral. These same properties that trigger sleepiness from just a single banana makes it a great bedtime snack.