Oranges are one of the common fruits found in America and also throughout the world. It is also a healthy and delicious fruit.
You might not believe it, but it also helps in maintaining quality sleep. Let’s see how.
Vitamin C, Vitamin B Complex, Vitamin E along with Magnesium, Iron, Calcium are found in an Orange. These Vitamins and Minerals help in inducing sleep and also maintain a good quality of sleep.
Also, researches show that people with Vitamin C deficiency will wake up more frequently at night. So, Oranges or even organic Orange juice especially homemade will help you replenish the Vitamin C that you require.
Take Orange Juice with your breakfast. Not Before sleeping and also not after waking up.
Let, us now take a good look at how it helps. Let us start with the Nutritional value of orange.
Nutritional Value
Orange is a terrific fruit. It is delicious and healthy. You will be happy to know some nutritional facts about oranges. If you are an orange lover like me, then you will love the facts.
Each 100 gm or 3.5oz of orange can give you 197Kj of energy. It contains 11.75g of carbs, 0.12 g of fat, 0.94g of proteins. The carbohydrates in orange include sugar (fructose) and dietary fiber.
There are proteins But they are in very fewer quantities and it is not helpful for us. The proteins from orange have a pH of 4.45, Apart from these, there are vitamins and important minerals.
Vitamins
Oranges are a good source of Vitamins. You will find vitamin A, Vitamin B complex, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E in orange. But most of them are in lesser quantities. But Vitamin C, nearly 64% DA, means orange is a great source of Vitamin C.
In the case of Florida oranges, Vitamin C is around 74% DA.
Minerals
In the case of minerals, orange has, Magnesium (3% DA), Calcium (4% DA), Iron (1% DA), and (4%DA). As you can see they are in less quantity.
To help you out I have prepared a table based on information gathered from USDA. I have only mentioned the nutrients which have sleep-inducing effects. If you like the table, do spread the good word by sharing it.
Nutritional Fact of 100gm/3.5oz of orange.
| Energy | 197kj(47kcal) |
| Carbohydrate | 11.75g |
| Sugars | 9.35g |
| Dietary fiber | 2.4g |
| Fat | 0.12g |
| Protein | 0.94g |
| Vitamins | |
| Vitamin B1 | 0.087mg 8% |
| Vitamin B2 | 0.04mg 3% |
| Vitamin B3 | 0.282mg 2% |
| Vitamin B5 | 0.25mg 5% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.06mg 5% |
| Vitamin B9 | 30 micro gm 8% |
| Vitamin C | 53.2mg 64% |
| Vitamin E | 0.18 mg 1% |
| Minerals | |
| Magnesium | 10mg 3% |
| Calcium | 40mg 4% |
| Iron | 0.1mg 1% |
| Potassium | 181mg 4% |
| Water | 86.7g |
How does Orange Help to Sleep?
As you can see that the main nutrient in orange or orange juice is Vitamin C. So let us just take a look in brief at how Vitamin C helps you to sleep.
Vitamin C helps lower stress hormones. It also fights symptoms of stress like sickness and poor sleep. There is evidence that Vitamin C can help cure sleep deprivation. A study was done on rats, it showed that vitamin C has helped to cure sleep deprivation among them in 5 days. The researchers suggested that it does so by reducing the levels of cortisol a stress hormone.
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There are other vitamins like Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5 and Vitamin B9, along with Vitamin E, all these vitamins also contribute to enhancing sleep quality. Also the presence of Magnesium, calcium, and Iron also helps attain quality sleep. Tough their %DA suggests that they are in lower quantities, but they are there and they also help.
Health benefits of Orange
Orange or orange juice has multiple other health benefits. It has other nutrients like Flavonoids. Which have anti-inflammatory properties and also acts as antioxidants. SO, let us see other health benefits of oranges in brief.
- Prevents Stroke.
- Maintains blood pressure.
- Prevents leukaemia’s
- Prevents Colorectal cancers
- Prevents skin cancers
- Helps in Diabetes
- Nourishes skin.
Risks of taking Oranges
Well, you have nothing to fear from oranges. But too much of anything is not good. So let us see if you consume more oranges on daily basis than your required amounts, what can happen to you.
Acid reflux
Some people get acid reflux after consuming oranges. It is not that common. If you are feeling belching, the fullness of the abdomen, heartburn after consuming orange, then it is better to avoid it.
Teeth stain
If you take many oranges like10 every day, then your teeth can get stained.
Increases sugar levels.
If you take more oranges than required, then your sugar levels will go up. Oranges do have carbs.
But, don’t worry, this won’t happen to you. Because you will already know how much orange you have to take. Continue reading below, I have prepared a small table for you.
How many oranges you should take?
As we have seen the main nutrient that we get from oranges that benefit sleep quality, is Vitamin C. So let us see how much vitamin C we can get from oranges and their products.
Before that, we need to know how much we need. I have made a short table to help you out, the data is collected from NIH of dietary supplements.
| Age | Male | Female |
| Teen (14-18yrs) | 75mg | 65mg |
| Adults | 90mg | 75mg |
| Pregnant Women | — | 85mg |
| Breastfeeding Women | — | 120mg |
| Smokers | +35 mg ( Age Group) | +35 mg ( Age Group) |
Now let us see how many orange or orange juices can help you get that.
According to the data from USDA, the average weight of a medium-sized orange is 131 grams, a larger orange weighs approximately 184 grams, and a smaller one is around 96 grams.
As you have read above, 100gms of oranges will give you 53.2 mg of Vitamin C, in general, and a Florida orange gives around 97 mg of Vitamin C. You can easily measure when you buy. And if you have a kitchen weigh scale it is better.
So, if you are an adult 1 Florida orange or 2 other oranges will be good enough for you to fulfill your daily Vitamin C requirements.
So, 2 oranges per day is good it won’t do harm to you. You can take them in the evening as snacks. But don’t overdo it.
Contents of Orange Juice
Well, there are different categories of orange juice. Some of the orange juice contains lots of added sugar. It is best to avoid them.
If you love orange juice like me, then go for 100% orange juice. Let us now see how many glasses of orange juice you need to take.
Each cup of orange juice will give you 97mg of Vitamin C. So, it is safe to say you can take a cup of orange juice daily.
Also, It is very important to know when to take the orange juice.
Orange Juice is not to be taken Before going to sleep or even after waking up from sleep. You should take Orange Juice at Breakfast.
Now if you like orange juices like me you can take two cups. But I also don’t drink daily. Now before I conclude this post don’t you want to see from where oranges come.
Where Oranges come from.
According to Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database, in 2017, Brazil (17.46%) was the highest producer of Oranges. Followed by China (8.69%) and India (7.65%).
In the United States, Florida, California and Texas are the major producers. If you are from there, it is your moral duty to spread the good word. Just kidding, share only if you like the post.
Conclusion
Oranges are one of the most common fruits. Do you like orange? I love them. You will get good reliable information’s on oranges.
Oranges has multiple health benefits. They also help you get a good quality sleep.
The vitamins and minerals present in oranges help you get a night of quality sleep. If you want to read in detail read the article. You will also find a link to the medical research, which also suggests the same thing. on which this article is based.