Can you eat your way to healthy sleep?

You likely already know that sleep is an important part of your overall wellbeing, right up there with getting regular exercise and eating a well-balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

But it’s also one of the easiest things to ignore under the pressure of overloaded schedules and everyday stress. Even when we try to prioritize it, we might find ourselves staring at the ceiling or tossing and turning instead of sinking into that deep sleep we know we need.

Thankfully there are plenty of different strategies for improving our sleep habits. You can create and follow a consistent nighttime routine to tell your body it’s time to wind down and go to sleep. You can attempt to eliminate screen time right before bed so the blue light from televisions, cell phones, laptops or tablets won’t meddle with your body’s natural circadian rhythm.

You can also take a look at what you’re eating and when you’re eating it to try and support healthy sleep habits. Stock up on foods that help you sleep and avoid any foods that cause insomnia.

Foods to help sleep

Overall good nutrition is important for healthy sleep. Without proper nutrition, your body is unbalanced and more prone to illness, fatigue and low performance. Paying attention to your protein, fat and carbs as well as the vitamins and minerals in your food is one way to achieve a balanced diet and improve your sleep.

Regular servings of fatty fish like salmon, herring, tuna and anchovies may also have a beneficial effect on your ability to fall asleep. Research showed that people who ate salmon three times a week for six months were able to fall asleep more quickly than the control group of those who didn’t. They also reported better daily functioning.

You can also keep a steady supply of tart cherry juice on hand. A pilot study showed people who consumed tart cherry juice two times a day for two weeks reported more than an hour of additional sleep time.

Best foods to eat before bed

If you’re a fan of evening snacks, you might want to choose ones that will support your desire for a good night’s sleep, including nuts like pistachios, walnuts or cashews. Nuts have various levels of melatonin, magnesium and zinc, which have been shown to improve sleep quality when consumed before bed.

Kiwifruit is another option. In a study where participants ate two kiwifruit an hour before bedtime each night for four weeks, they fell asleep faster and slept longer than those who didn’t.

Looking for something warm and creamy? Try a hot malted milk drink. A study using a popular brand of malted milk showed participants who drank it before bed had less restlessness in bed and longer duration of sleep periods.

You can also skip the malt. A cup of simple warm or hot milk has long been a home remedy to help people fall asleep. But research suggests that you can do even better by drinking milk that was collected from cows during the night, also known as night milk.

Why? A study showed that night milk had sleep promoting effects comparable to some prescription sleep aids, suggesting it might be a good natural sleep aid. (Not sure how to tell night milk from day milk in the grocery store, though!)

Hot chamomile tea is another option that people have been turning to for years for its calming effect. For many, drinking hot tea leaves them soothed and relaxed and ready for bed.

Worst foods to eat before bed: Do any foods cause insomnia?

Now that you have a list of good food to eat before bed, let’s look at the worst foods to eat before bed. First, no matter what you’re eating, you shouldn’t eat too much of it. Large or heavy meals or overly spicy or acidic meals can cause indigestion or other discomfort which might keep you up or lead to insomnia.

Next, watch out for foods that may contain caffeine. Chocolate (unfortunately for the chocoholics out there) is a big one. Caffeine has a half-life of up to six hours, meaning that six hours after you’ve consumed it, half of that caffeine is still in your system. Aim for a caffeine cut-off 4 to 6 hours before bedtime.

Sugar is another potential no-no. Studies are delivering mixed results, but some research showed that meals with a high glycemic index (that includes sugary snacks) can put people at risk for insomnia.  Salty snacks should also be avoided as they could be connected to later bedtimes and an increase in the number of times someone wakes during the night, which decreases the amount of deep sleep they get.

If you love cheese, you may or may not be in luck when it comes to a bedtime snack. Some cheeses have tryptophan, which has been shown to help people relax and fall asleep. But strong or aged cheese like cheddar, parmesan, Swiss or stilton are high in tyramine. Tyramine is an amino acid that promotes the production and release of adrenaline – the last thing you want when you’re trying to sleep.

Supplements to support sleep

Outside of what you eat and when, you can also consider sleep supplements to help you relax so you can fall asleep. Nutrilite™ Sweet Dreams blueberry lavender flavored gummies contain magnesium, melatonin and passionflower to promote sleep.

Another option is taking a valerian supplement like Nutrilite Sleep Health. It includes a proprietary blend of valerian, hops and lemon balm to help you relax so you can fall asleep†. Regardless of the strategy you choose, hopefully you’re well on your way so a good night’s sleep – your health depends on it!