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12 Best Foods to Help You Sleep Better

Good quality sleep is needed for good health. Not only does it keep you alert and focused while you’re awake, your body needs this critical rest period to heal itself.

The magic sleep number for adults is between 7-9 hours each night.

Unfortunately, research on sleep patterns indicates that not only are many adults not getting this amount of sleep each night, the average hours of sleep per night have been decreasing over the last few decades.

And besides simple lack of sleep, there’s another aspect to consider: the quality of rest you’re getting.

You may have the best intentions to get a good 8 hours of sleep but find yourself lying awake or tossing and turning throughout the night. When you wake up the next morning, it doesn’t feel like you slept much at all.

Fortunately, there are natural changes you can make, like eating foods to help with sleep. Specific foods contain nutrients that promote sleepiness as well as better quality, deeper rest.

Here’s a look at the top foods (and drinks) to eat for sweet dreams.

Top Foods to Help With Sleep

Tart Cherry Juice

Tart cherries are loaded with beneficial nutrients, most notably magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and antioxidants. The juice is missing the fiber content of the berries but becomes an even more concentrated source of nutrients.

In research, tart cherry juice is one of the most consistent foods at inducing sleepiness and better quality sleep.

This is likely because several studies have shown that drinking tart cherry juice raises melatonin levels. Melatonin is commonly referred to as the “sleep hormone” because it’s heavily involved in controlling your sleep-wake cycle. Without enough melatonin, your brain doesn’t get the signal that it’s time to fall asleep.

Along with increasing melatonin, cherries also have a good amount of magnesium and potassium.

One of the benefits of magnesium is that it helps with the production and regulation of melatonin. Potassium is thought to be connected to staying asleep through the night.

Overall, tart cherry juice has the potential to extend sleep time by over an hour and improve sleep quality.

Almonds

Like tart cherries, almonds are one of the best foods to help with sleep because they can boost melatonin production. In fact, they are one of the best plant-based dietary sources of melatonin.

A one ounce serving of almonds also provides about 19% the daily value (DV) of magnesium, which as mentioned, is critical for melatonin production within your body. Magnesium can even help decrease levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. This further helps you to relax and fall asleep.

One ounce of almonds is about a handful, so you don’t even need a large serving to get the benefits.

Walnuts

walnuts foods to help with sleep

Walnuts share many sleep-boosting nutrients with almonds, especially melatonin and magnesium. They also contain fatty acids that may promote better quality sleep.

One of the major fatty acids in walnuts is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is an omega-3. It gets converted to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) within your body, and DHA appears to increase serotonin levels.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that has a lot of roles in the body. One of these roles is helping to regulate your sleep-wake cycle. It’s also a chemical precursor to melatonin, meaning you need enough of it for your body to produce the right amount of the sleep hormone.

Ironically, too much serotonin can cause wakefulness, but research indicates that having enough of this brain chemical is crucial to a good night’s sleep.

Oats

Oats may surprise you as one of the top foods to help with sleep. But they are yet another good source of melatonin and magnesium, like the previous foods on this list.

Even more surprising, oats have a good amount of tryptophan, the amino acid that may be forever associated with turkey. Tryptophan plays a role in the production of both melatonin and serotonin. It also helps your brain relax, which can induce drowsiness.

Unlike turkey, oats provide you with a good amount of fiber and are a healthy complex carbohydrate. There’s some evidence that eating carbs before bed promotes better sleep, too.

Kiwi Fruit

Kiwis are a highly nutritious fruit, packed full of vitamin C. They also contain good amounts of potassium and folate (vitamin B9), along with trace minerals.

Folate is an often overlooked nutrient in relation to sleep (as well as depression). It’s involved in the synthesis of several neurotransmitters, including serotonin, and may help with insomnia. Deficiencies can cause sleep trouble.

In one study, adults ate two kiwis one hour before going to bed for 4 weeks. They ended up falling asleep 42% more quickly than before, slept for longer, and slept better throughout the night.

Researchers still aren’t sure why kiwi has such good sleep-promoting effects, but you may want to eat more of this small green fruit if you’re having sleep troubles!

Leafy Greens

Certain leafy greens are great foods to help with sleep because of their calcium content. Kale, spinach, and mustard greens are at the top of the list.

Calcium is yet another essential nutrient for getting quality sleep. Though normally associated with bone health, calcium works with other nutrients within your body to promote restful sleep. It seems to be especially connected to deep REM sleep.

Adequate calcium intake (alongside getting enough other “sleep nutrients”) may help you fall asleep more quickly and get more restorative sleep.

Lettuce is another green that surprisingly may aid sleep. Certain types contain a milky fluid called lactucarium, which has sedative properties.

It’s unclear how much lettuce you need to eat to feel drowsy, but romaine lettuce has the highest content of lactucarium. Combine it with other calcium-rich greens for greater effect.

Herbal Tea

While you don’t want to drink caffeine-containing tea before bedtime, specific herbal teas have relaxing, sleep-promoting properties.

Two of the most studied teas to help with sleep are chamomile and passionflower.

Chamomile tea has a long history of use for stress and sleeplessness. Its main sleep-improving compound seems to be an antioxidant called apigenin. Research indicates that apigenin binds to receptors in the brain, promoting sleepiness and potentially reducing insomnia.

Studies using both chamomile tea and chamomile extract show that it can improve both the time it takes you to fall asleep and sleep quality.

Passionflower also contains apigenin and appears to increase the production of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is a brain chemical that inhibits other stress-inducing brain chemicals, leading to a more relaxed state.

Passionflower seems to have benefits similar to chamomile for better quality sleep, so you can choose either one depending on taste preference. The two can also be combined into one herbal tea.

Certain Types of Fish

Fatty fish like salmon, trout, and sardines are top foods to help with sleep because of their vitamin D and fatty acid content.

Vitamin D is an incredibly important nutrient that acts as a hormone. It’s vital for healthy immune function, mental health, bone health, and, of course, sleep. The connection between vitamin D and sleep isn’t yet clear, but a deficiency is associated with a greater risk of sleep problems.

The biggest “source” of vitamin D is sunlight, which enables your body to produce its own store of the vitamin. Fish are one of few food sources that will also give you a good amount of the sunshine vitamin.

Fatty fish contains the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA as well. In combination with vitamin D, these omega-3s help with serotonin synthesis and may boost sleep quality. Because some fish can contain high levels of mercury, though, do opt for low mercury choices such as salmon, trout, and sardines if you do eat fish.

Bananas

Bananas contain a good amount of potassium and a modest amount of magnesium (about 8% DV in a medium banana). Both of these contribute to helping you fall asleep and sleep through the night.

A medium size banana also has about 11 mg. of tryptophan. This isn’t a huge amount (turkey has 300-400 mg. per pound and oats have 147 mg. per cup), but it may be enough to help your mind relax at night.

Honey

Though you don’t want to consume a lot of sugar at night, a little bit of raw honey can be a good bedtime snack. It also combines well with other foods to help with sleep like nuts, herbal tea, and oats.

Honey works as a sleep food by slightly raising insulin levels when you eat it. This allows tryptophan that may be present in your body to enter your brain where it gets involved in the production of serotonin and melatonin.

Although honey does contain a small amount of tryptophan on its own, you may want to eat it with another tryptophan food like oats to boost its effect.

Other Tryptophan Foods

grains foods to help with sleep

The recommended daily amount for tryptophan is 250-425 mg. per day. Getting within this range ensures you have enough of this building block for restful sleep.

Oats, as mentioned, are the best plant-based source with about 1/2 the DV in one cup. Nuts and seeds are another good plant-based source of tryptophan (including walnuts and almonds) as well as whole grains. Chocolate (the less sweetened the better) can get you up to 18 mg. per ounce, and fruits like bananas, apples, and prunes have a modest amount of tryptophan.

Healthy Carbohydrates (Especially Whole Grains)

Eating a small amount of carbohydrates in the evening may help you sleep better. This is especially true of whole grains, which usually have magnesium and a medium amount of tryptophan. Grains also raise insulin slightly in a way similar to honey to allow tryptophan to enter your brain.

Tips for Eating Foods to Help With Sleep

Eating the right kinds of food can help you get better quality sleep, but how you eat also matters.

Having a large meal right before bed isn’t a good idea, even if you’re eating foods on this list. It means your digestive system will be active right when you are trying to fall asleep.

You can, however, eat sleep foods with dinner or have them as a small snack a few hours before going to bed. The same goes for herbal tea and tart cherry juice. Drink them 2-3 hours before sleeping so that you don’t have to make a bathroom trip in the middle of the night.

Most of these foods should be eaten in the evening for the greatest benefit. Tryptophan-containing foods can be eaten throughout the day to make sure your intake of this amino acid is adequate.

Foods to Avoid Before Bedtime

Eating the right foods can help with sleep but there are others that may be sabotaging your rest.

High Fat or Spicy Meals

While carbohydrates and certain forms of protein are good evening foods, meals heavy on fat are not a great choice. Eating a lot of fat activates your digestive system in a way that may make you sleep less soundly. The same is true of spicy foods.

If your end-of-the-day meal tends to be heavy or on the spicy side, try to finish eating it at least 4 hours before going to sleep.

Caffeine

It may sound obvious that you shouldn’t drink caffeine before bed, but it can have an affect on your sleep even before the late evening hours.

Everyone’s body processes caffeine at a slightly different rate, but it typically takes 4-6 hours for it to leave your system entirely. This means you should cut off caffeine intake mid-afternoon to make sure it doesn’t interfere with sleep quality.

Also, keep in mind that there are other sources of caffeine besides coffee and tea. Chocolate contains caffeine and even decaf drinks still contain a small amount. Depending on how sensitive you are to caffeine, you may want to go easy on these as well.

Alcohol

Alcohol is tricky when it comes to sleep. Many people enjoy drinking it in the evening because it’s relaxing and can help you fall asleep more quickly.

Unfortunately, alcohol does not help with sleep quality. You may enjoy falling asleep faster, but you’re more likely to wake up in the night, spend time tossing and turning, and even get night sweats.

Because of this, it’s best to cut off alcohol 4-6 hours before bedtime.

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46 thoughts on “12 Best Foods to Help You Sleep Better”

  1. This is very informative…I love it…definitely make use of these healthy foods..stay blessed. .

    Reply
  2. A fantastic article – very informative without being overly technical. Saving as a favorite to refer back to often!

    Reply
  3. The most important sleep aid is not food at all but something else mainstream drug medicine never talks about . THE MORNING SUN EXPOSURE INTO YOUR EYES WTH A DIRECT COURSE TO YOUR BRAINS PINEAL GLAND THAT WILL ABSORB THE HORMONES INCLUDING SERATONIN THE HAPPY HORMONE THAT WHEN STORED IN THIS GLAND IS CONVERTED AT THE TIME OF DARKNESS TO BE CONVERTED INTO THE MOST POWERFUL SLEEP HORMONE CALLED MELATONIN. Also at night stay far away from the damaging effects of digital artificial BLUE LIGHT exposure that destroys your melatonin production in short time . Holistic Chef Barry Anderson owner of the sleep garden villa Phuket Retreat for Earthing and Sleeping for the senior retired traveling community world wide .

    Reply
    • Thanks Barry, that’s very interesting. I knew about the blue light from digital devices but I didn’t know about the morning sun in the eyes! Going on my deck right now to get my dose for the day! By the way, what do you do on cloudy, rainy days? Does it have a cumulative effect?

      Reply
  4. Thank you for these valuable suggestions! How many hour before going to bed should they be taken for greatest effectiveness?

    Reply
  5. As always, well written, concise and easy to understand. I have greatly enjoyed and benefitted from from your articles and programs. Thanks!

    Reply
  6. Thank you. I enjoyed that it was short and packed with info.
    Not long where I have to keep scrolling down.

    Reply
  7. I appreciate the tips & suggestions you’ve made to help us have better sleep. I will put as many as I can into practise.

    Reply
  8. Very practical. Lots of ideas .. thanks …another one is don’t exercise too hard in the evening. The Adrenalin takes time to calm down .

    Reply
  9. This is the most concise article loaded with effective solutions for people who have trouble sleeping. I, too, appreciate that I did not have to keep scrolling on and on to get to the “meat” of the topic. Very sound advice that I will pass on to others. There are a lot of us seniors dealing with sleep deprivation. Thank you for all this information.

    Reply
  10. Unfortunately fish, while containing preformed DHA and EPA, are also loaded with toxins. In a report by the European Food Safety Authority where they monitored contamination levels, they reported that, “In food, the highest contamination level was observed in fish and fish derived products followed by eggs, milk and their products, and meat and meat products from terrestrial animals.” The lowest contamination was “observed for foods of plant origin”. Another study found that women who ate fish more than two times per week had seven times the mercury levels of those who ate fish rarely. A study out of France found that PCB levels in fish was over twice that of dairy. Thus, I would be careful of consuming fish, an algae derived supplement is a far better choice, neither does it add pressure to diminishing fish stocks.

    Reply
  11. For the first time,this information is not asking for your credit information to purchase any books. Just straight to the point. Thanks

    Reply
  12. I always look forward to what you have to say. You are so helpful and compassionate to share all the helpful information I have had the privilege to read . Thank you for loving life and humanity

    Reply
  13. Thank you!! Everything you say is so helpful, relevant and easy to implement. I find myself reading every single word.

    Reply
  14. Thank you for this short, precise and free article you shared. It is fantastic and doable.
    I almost missed it since most of the time I hear too much unnecessary talks that go on and on as if people have nothing else to do; and in the end they tell you to pay some exorbitant amount which suddenly gets drastically reduced for you.

    Reply
  15. Really enjoyed your article, Thank you! I do most of those things you mentioned to help me sleep. What keeps me awake at night are old injuries from the military. One of the surgeries a nerve was damaged causing nerve pain from my shoulder to the finger tips. I’m very grateful to my Lord Jesus Christ who helps me day and night. Jesus is coming for all who love Him right after the Three Day’s and Nights of Darkness which is the last of His coming Judgments. His judgments begin with California when approximately two thirds of California will be destroyed, part breaking off and disappearing into the Pacific Ocean. This will begin the famine across America. Stock up on food and drinking water as much as possible and medical supplies. Please Prepare Now! Please invite The Lord Jesus into your heart and life to be your Savior. Time is quickly running out!

    Reply
  16. I am wondering where you are getting your nutritional information? When I look at the nutrition labels on walnuts and almonds, magnesium isn’t even listed as one of the nutrients. Just curious…

    Reply
  17. Thanks, great refresh article for me. Good information, easy to read, intake and remember.

    I would just be careful with when and how much Chery Tart people consume. This compound will also be fructose and a diuretic. A small amount 2 – 3 hrs before bed will help and prevent a night pee.

    Where I live, Australia, high quality Fish oil supplements can be purchased that are derived from the cleanest waters. They are proven to be produced with at least 10x less mercury, other heavy metals and toxins.

    Have a great night sleep 💤

    Reply
  18. Many thanks for the informative & helpful tips. U’re right it’s very frustrating to turn & toss at night for lack of sleep – eyelids heavy/closed but the brain is standing up! U have given variety of the foods which promo the good sleep hormone melatonin so we can readily find a choice. I’ll try them. God bless you!

    Reply
  19. thank so much straight to the point i almost didn’t click too many just take your time very little info even at the end.

    Reply
  20. I shall use most of the suggestions, but I am over 80 years of age, and our group has a problem that interferes with restful sleep; the term is NOCTURIA, which is nightime urination. The urine collects about three times per night and signals time to take a bathroom trip. Then it disrupts sleep two or three times per night, and it is hard to return to sleep after the third bathroom trip. So, nighttimes are very different from my young days-and-nights. I don’t want to take a medical drug to stop urination at night – what to do?? Melody. Please send any know-how to the Mayo Clinic – or the www system.
    Thanks.

    Reply
  21. Thank you for this very informative article. Good sleep is such an issue when a woman hits menopause! Any help other than the constant chatter of pills and hormones is appreciated! Thank you for your products and research!

    Reply

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