Food for Sleep: What's a Healthy Diet for a Good Night's Sleep?

Striking The Balance: What’s the Best Food for Sleep

Are you curious about what the best foods for sleep are? In this article, we’ll delve into the fascinating connection between dietary choices and the quality of our sleep. Discover how your food choices can contribute to a peaceful night's rest, from soothing teas to sleep-inducing snacks. 

Sleep is an essential reset button for your body and mind; it plays a critical role in keeping you happy and healthy. It is when your body goes into repair mode to rejuvenate yourself for the coming day. Trouble sleeping could sneak into our lives for many reasons. It may be the result of stress, trauma, anxiety, poor sleep hygiene (e.g., the disruptive glow of screens, noisiness), or even nutritional status. 

Many of us tend to overlook the connection between nutrition and sleep. What you eat and when you eat could impact your sleep quality. Unfortunately, finding the right foods can feel like a complicated recipe with contradicting flavors and ingredients from many grocery stores. Let’s explore the legitimacy of different anecdotes in the popular press.

What is Healthy Eating for Sleep?

Healthy eating for sleep involves making mindful choices that support a restful night and overall well-being. It's not just about what you eat but also when and how much. Optimal sleep nutrition incorporates foods rich in sleep-promoting nutrients like tryptophan, melatonin, and magnesium. These can be found in turkey, nuts, seeds, dairy, and dark leafy greens. Equally important is maintaining a balanced diet that includes whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Avoiding excessive caffeine and heavy, spicy meals close to bedtime is crucial, as these can disrupt sleep. 

Hydration also plays a role; while staying hydrated is essential, limiting fluids close to bedtime is wise to minimize nighttime trips to the bathroom. Healthy eating for sleep is a holistic approach that considers the nutritional value, timing, and balance of your meals to promote a sound and rejuvenating night's sleep.

It’s important to note that diets are multifaceted. Different people have distinct reactions to various eating approaches, making it hard to generalize a perfect strategy for everyone. Due to this complexity, focusing on the bigger picture of nutritional status and overall sleep hygiene may be more meaningful than individual foods. But here are some worth considering:

The Best Foods For Sleep

1. Tart Cherries:

Tart cherries (specifically tart cherry juice) are known to promote sleepiness. Several studies show the benefits of drinking tart cherry juice due to the higher concentrations of melatonin found in tart cherries, a hormone that regulates sleep and circadian rhythm [1]. 

2. Fatty Fish: 

While many people might not opt to eat fatty fish right before bed, it may work in your favor if you try it. Fatty fish provide a healthy amount of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids [1]. A study investigating the effects of fatty fish on sleep and daily functioning found that fish consumption has a positive outcome on sleep quality and daily functioning, possibly correlated with higher vitamin D status [2].

3. Nuts:

Several different nuts are considered beneficial for sleep. Melatonin is present in walnuts, almonds, and pistachios. Their consumption may increase blood melatonin concentrations, subsequently correlating with increased antioxidative capacity [3,4]. Although the amount may vary in nuts, melatonin and other minerals, such as zinc, are essential for various bodily functions [1]. 

4. Breakfast for Dinner:

Does it seem ironic that a meal you usually eat at the start of your day could help you sleep better? For example, eating bananas, which are high in muscle-relaxing potassium, a side of protein (e.g., eggs), and a complex carbohydrate (e.g., oatmeal), could aid in your rest [5,6]. 

5. Za’atar:

This Middle Eastern spice not only pairs well with most foods but may also promote sleeping due to its high magnesium content. Some consider it a medicinal herb since it helps digestion, reduces abdominal pain, and decreases inflammation [7,8]. 

6. Banana Peel Sleep Tea:

This tea beverage is slightly sweet and is purported to have many beneficial nutrients in bananas that promote sleep. Although little research exists on banana tea, it is likely due to nutrients including tryptophan, magnesium, and potassium. Since these nutrients are water-soluble, boiling the banana could lead to the leaching of such nutrients, increasing their availability in the tea [9]. So, although this is not a definitive solution to improve sleep, try it and see how you feel.  You could incorporate the banana peel in the tea or use the inner fruit alone!

Foods to Avoid Before Sleep

Next, let’s explore some categories to avoid before sleep so you can be energized for the next day! Although everyone is different, the suggestions below guide what to avoid as you approach your bedtime hours. 

1. Caffeine:

This may be obvious, but drinking coffee or other caffeinated beverages late in the day could prolong the time it takes to sleep, reduce sleep time, and compromise sleep quality. Caffeine tends to stimulate the nervous system to keep it alert, and although some individuals are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine due to genetic differences, it generally increases wakefulness. Avoid drinking coffee within 8 hours of bedtime [10]. 

2. Alcohol:

Although people assume that a drink or two before bed could help with sleeping, studies show drinking alcohol could lead to poorer quality sleep due to various disturbances throughout the night [11]. Surprisingly, it does help you fall asleep faster however, most experience overall fatigue the next day. So the next time you have a drink before bed, just remember that falling asleep faster does not mean you are sleeping better!

3. Spicy Food:

Spicy food can negatively affect sleep in many ways. They tend to lead to indigestion and heartburn, which could make it hard to fall asleep. Moreover, spicy foods could raise body temperature, making it difficult to find comfort. So, if you like to add spice to your food for an extra dimension, try avoiding it at nighttime [12]. 

Conclusion

The lists above include suggestions on what to include and avoid to improve your sleep. It is important to note that these suggestions may not help everyone. There are bigger-picture mental health considerations when it comes to sleep. However, don’t underestimate an overall balanced diet for sleep. Don’t forget to tune in to your body to see what works for you. Health is an ongoing experiment and a moving target; progress, not perfection, is what counts! 

The Wise Mind Nutrition program is a food-first approach that offers ideas and recipes for healthy eating and living. If you are looking for the best sleep of your life or to end sleep disruptions, we also have 14 recommendations to help you achieve that.  Our dedicated support extends to assisting you in making mindful food choices that positively impact mood and brain health. Join us in embracing a lifestyle that harmonizes nutrition, well-being, and the pursuit of optimal sleep.

Blog Contributor:

AlAnoud Dabbas

References: 

1. Suni, E, and Vyas, N. The Best Foods to Help You Sleep. [Internet]. Sleep Foundation, 2023 [cited 2023, 17 Nov.] 

2. Hansen AL, Dahl L, Olson G, et al. Fish consumption, sleep, daily functioning, and heart rate variability. J Clin Sleep Med. 2014;10(5):567-575

3. Russel J. Reiter, L.C. Manchester, Dun-xian Tan, Melatonin in walnuts: Influence on levels of melatonin and total antioxidant capacity of blood. Nutrition. 2005; 21, (9), 920-924

4. Elliott, B. 9 Foods and Drinks to Promote Better Sleep. [Internet]. Healthline. Healthline Media, 2023 [cited 2023, 22 Feb.]

5. Zipkin, N. 20 Weird Strategies to Help You Sleep. [Internet] Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur, 2017. [cited 2017, 12 Sep.]

6. Eckelkamp, Stephanie. This Strange Bedtime Snack Can Help You Sleep Sounder. [Internet] The Wellnes. 2023 [cited 2023, 6 Jan.] www.humnutrition.com/blog/food-for-sleep/. 

7. Health Benifits of Zaatar. [Internet]. Ham Towne Spicery, [cited 2023, 18 Nov.]

8.  Khalil, M, et al. Unraveling the beneficial effects of herbal Lebanese mixture “Za’atar”. History, studies, and properties of a potential healthy food ingredient, Journal of Functional Foods, 2022;  90

9. Summer J, Singh A. Banana Tea: Recipe and Benefits for Sleep. [Internet]. Sleep Foundation, 2023. [cited  2023, 23 May] 

10. Clark I, Landolt HP. Coffee, caffeine, and sleep: A systematic review of epidemiological studies and randomized controlled trials. Sleep Med Rev. 2017; 31:70-78

11. Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB. Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013; 37(4):539-549]

12. 8 Foods You Should Avoid That Will Keep You Awake at Night. [Internet] MedicineNet, MedicineNet, 2023. [ cited 2023, 6 Feb.]