This Ice Cream Is "Sleep Friendly," and Our Spoons Are SO Ready!

A lot of things interfere with a good night's sleep: scrolling through your phone, sweets or anything that contains caffeine, fatty foods, and alcohol. But what if there was a satisfying treat you could enjoy before bed without a single worry about staying awake? Nightfood advertises its new ice cream line as a slumber-friendly option that helps you catch some zzz's, due to ingredients such as magnesium, zinc, and calcium, which are associated with improved quality of sleep.

The ice cream was formulated with the help of experts, including Michael Breus, PhD, known as the "Sleep Doctor," and Lauren Broch, PhD, to "keep sleep disruptive ingredients out and add in ingredients that are understood to support sleep," the Nightfood website states. The company removed caffeine, sugars, and "excess fat and calories" and made the recipe "less likely to cause sleep disruption via lactose digestion issues, acid reflux, blood sugar spikes, and the like." Nightfood does want to make clear, though, that the ice cream does not "contain sleep-aid substances or drugs [like melatonin], and it's not a dietary supplement. It's simply a better-for-you and more sleep-friendly choice," according to the website.

"With tens of millions of people eating ice cream every night, they're taking in lots of sugar, fat, and calories just before bed that can be very detrimental to sleep quality," Nightfood founder Sean Folkson told POPSUGAR, adding that he wants us to think of the line as a bedtime alternative. "It's not that other ice creams keep people awake; it's that they are loaded with ingredients that can impair sleep quality."

Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, one half-cup serving of Nightfood contains 10 percent of your suggested daily magnesium and zinc intake, according the nutrition facts. One serving also contains between 70 and 100 calories, one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half grams of total fat, and six to 10 grams of sugar. To top it all off, Nightfood has six to seven grams of protein per serving. A half-cup serving of Cherry Eclipse, for instance, contains 100 calories, two-and-a-half grams of fat, nine grams of sugar, and six grams of protein. A half-cup serving of Cherry Garcia, a similar pint from Ben & Jerry's, has 260 calories, 15 grams of fat, 23 grams of sugar, and four grams of protein.

The line is in the middle of a national roll out, which will last over the next 12 months, Folkson said, and is now available in 40 percent of Meijer locations for $5. But if you're craving it now, you can buy it online in bulk via Amazon or per pint on buynightfood.com. Along with Cherry Eclipse, there's Full Moon Vanilla, Midnight Chocolate, After Dinner Mint Chip, Cold Brew Decaf, Cookies 'N' Dreams, Milk & Cookie Dough, and Bed and Breakfast (maple ice cream with waffle chunks). Five out of the eight pints are also gluten-free! Read on for nutritional info for each dreamy flavor.