WHAT TO EAT (AND AVOID) FOR A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP

YOU DON’T NEED me to tell you that sleep is important. It’s the top self-care non-negotiable of some of the most successful people in the world, and you yourself have likely noticed how much better and more effective you feel when you get enough quality rest than when you’re short on shut-eye.

Sleep deprivation has been linked to many health problems, such as impaired cognitive function high blood pressure and increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. The weight gain association that has been attributed to lack of sleep is due to changes in “hunger hormones” leptin and ghrelin, which lead us to feel sensations of hunger more strongly but to be less perceptive to those inner cues that tell us when we’re satisfied (this tends to go hand in hand with a preference for sugary and fatty foods)—in short, it’s a recipe for overeating. Sleep deprivation can also be dangerous—your risk of accident or injury goes way up when you’re running on fumes.

So, yeah, sleep is a big deal. It’s estimated that adults, on average, need about seven hours per night, and yet, so many of us struggle to clock that amount. A poor night of sleep here or there is one thing, but it can become a problem when inadequate quality sleep becomes a regular occurrence and sleep deprivation becomes someone’s norm, as it is for many people (the CDC estimates that around 35 percent of adults report short sleep duration).⁵⁷

There’s a wide range of factors that can affect our sleep. Among the biggest are stress, anxiety, the sleep environment (things like temperature, light, and sound), medications, and even what and how much we eat and drink in the hours before bed.

For example, downing an espresso right before bed might keep you up. Or if you go to bed after eating a huge meal— or on the flip, side, really hungry—you may have trouble drifting off. Finding that sweet spot between starving and stuffed is key.

Specific foods can also play a part in helping you fall asleep and stay asleep thanks to the different nutrients and compounds they provide. Here are some of the main ones:

Melatonin⁵⁸

This hormone regulates our circadian rhythm. Our levels increase in the dark, so pulling those shades down and blocking sources of light in your sleeping area are a good first step. While melatonin isn’t present in many foods, supplements can be an easy way to work it in when you need it. That said, I wouldn’t recommend it as a daily thing. It’s not going to knock you out but is helpful for bringing your circadian rhythm back into a stable pattern when it goes out of whack. Ideally, you want to take melatonin for no more than a week at a time to help you when you’re dealing with an inconsistent sleep schedule, traveling across time zones, or adjusting to seasonal time changes or changes in daylight hours.

Serotonin⁵⁹

This mood-regulating neurotransmitter also regulates our sleep cycle by playing a role in that process of calming down so we can drift off. Serotonin is also involved in melatonin production. It’s not found in many foods, but making sure we eat a variety of foods that support and enhance its production can help us maintain good levels. We’ll get more into that later in this chapter.

Tryptophan⁶⁰

Tryptophan is an amino acid that is a precursor to serotonin, so it’s an important part of the process. You’ll find it mainly in animal proteins (like milk and turkey) as well as in some other foods like bananas, nuts, seeds, oats, beans, and honey.

Calcium

This mineral plays a role in how our body utilizes tryptophan. It also helps regulate blood pressure and muscle movements, which are key to your being able to settle down when you get in bed. Dairy products are the best-known sources of calcium, but you’ll also find it in dark leafy greens, tofu, and salmon. ⁶¹

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 helps the body efficiently produce melatonin and serotonin, so it plays a big supporting role. Some good food sources are bananas, beans, fish, chicken, and whole grains.⁶²

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are important for a few reasons. For starters, carbs enhance tryptophan levels in the blood. They’re also important because a slight increase in insulin levels, which we experience when we eat carbs, actually helps the body fall asleep faster. Go for quality, though. Complex carbohydrates like beans, fruit, starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, and whole grains will break down more slowly and keep your blood sugar stable so you don’t wake up hungry in the middle of the night.

Potassium

This mineral soothes muscle aches and assists in the regulation of blood pressure and nerve function so you can fall asleep comfortably. Potassium is present in many foods, but some great ones to put on your list are avocados, bananas, tomatoes, oranges, and dark, leafy greens.⁶³

Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral that regulates blood pressure as well as muscle and nerve function and blood sugar. Magnesium is also thought to counteract the stress hormone cortisol, so it’s a good one to pay attention to if stress in your brain and body make it hard for you to peacefully drift off at night. Some good food sources include bananas, nuts, spinach and other greens, chicken, fish, and dairy products.⁶⁴

Easy Bedtime Snack Ideas

If you finish eating dinner within an hour or two of your bedtime, you may not need a bedtime snack, but if you find yourself needing a little something to help take the edge off, here are some great options to try.

A Banana

You might say that bananas are a bedtime superfood, thanks to their potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and tryptophan content. Add a teaspoon of your favorite nut butter for a little healthy fat.

Yogurt

Yogurt gives you a combination of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and tryptophan as well as some carbs (lactose) and protein. Just avoid flavored products, since sugar and artificial sweeteners can be hard on digestion. Sweeten with a teaspoon of honey instead for a little extra tryptophan.

A Hard-Boiled Egg

Eggs are an easy source of tryptophan as well as protein and fat. Also awesome: it’s super easy to prep hard-boiled eggs ahead of time so you have them when you need them.

Cheese

Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon in 30 Rock was onto something with her “Night Cheese” routine. Cheese provides calcium and tryptophan, plus protein. To avoid going overboard, keep portions to about one ounce—that’s about a quarter cup of soft cheese or an amount that’s about the size of a tube of lipstick or a pair of dice for hard cheese. A fruit and cheese plate makes a lovely pre-bed snack.

Oats

Oatmeal might not sound like a bedtime snack, but it can actually be a great one. In addition to complex carbs, oats provide tryptophan and vitamin B6. An easy formula that will settle you down without being too filling is to cook a quarter cup of rolled or instant oats with a half cup of milk and some cinnamon for a bedtime snack. Add up to a teaspoon of honey if you need some sweetness, and if you need a little extra protein or fat to make it more filling, a teaspoon of your favorite nut butter.

Hummus with Veggies or Crackers

The chickpeas in hummus are a great plant-based source of tryptophan. This combo also provides carbohydrates and a little protein.

What to Avoid

Certain foods and beverages can also mess with your sleep.

Caffeine is a big one. Coffee, soda, energy drinks, and black and green tea are the most common sources, though some people who are very sensitive to caffeine may also find that chocolate impacts their sleep.

As we talked about in the chapter on finding your sweet spot with caffeine, setting a caffeine curfew for yourself—setting a time of day when you cut yourself off from caffeinated beverages—can make it possible for you to enjoy caffeine without risking it keeping you up at night. While some people might be able to have coffee at 4 p.m. and still get to bed without a problem, many people do better switching to decaf after 2 p.m., or even earlier.

Both eating a very large meal and attempting to go to bed when you’re very hungry can make it hard to fall asleep. Some people may find that spicy foods, very sugary foods, and foods that are hard to digest (like high-fat meats, or fatty meals like a double-bacon cheeseburger and fries, or a rich dessert like a brownie sundae) also make falling asleep more difficult.

I’m not sure why the term “nightcap” is a thing because alcohol is another sleep saboteur. It would be awesome if a glass of wine or a stiff drink after a stressful day could help you sleep well, but, unfortunately, alcohol can actually disrupt your sleep.

Sure, you might fall asleep quickly, but have you noticed how you tend to wake up in the middle of the night? That’s because alcohol impacts the production of the different chemicals involved in our circadian rhythm, and it also blocks REM sleep, which is the restorative part of our sleep. Alcohol can also exacerbate breathing problems and lead to snoring, and may exacerbate sleep apnea. Then there’s the fact that it’s a diuretic, which means more bathroom trips in the middle of the night. Not exactly a recipe for a good night of rest.⁶⁵

If you still want to enjoy an alcoholic drink, your best bet is to stick to a small amount and to enjoy it with a balanced meal, ideally where you have at least a few hours before you call it a night.

Other Things to Help You Get Better Sleep

Similarly to how exercise goes hand-in-hand with dietary changes when we’re working toward a fitness goal, exercise can impact our sleep. I spoke with Dr. Sujay Kansagra, MD, an associate professor at Duke University Medical Center and director of the Duke Pediatric Neurology Sleep Medicine Program, about how sleep and exercise are linked. “Getting regular exercise can help you fall asleep faster and get better quality sleep. Exercise can also have beneficial effects on mood, anxiety, and stress, and these primary benefits can cause a secondary benefit to sleep as well,” he told me. “But sleep can also impact exercise. Studies show that people tend to exercise less after a bad night of sleep.”

When I asked whether the time of day you exercise matters, he explained, “Most sleep doctors recommend trying to exercise earlier in the day if possible, and avoiding strenuous exercise close to bedtime. The reason is that exercise can cause an increase in the body’s core temperature, and lowering your body temperature is good for helping you fall asleep. However, if your schedule is such that the only time in the day to exercise is in the evening, and you still find it easy to go to sleep, it’s okay to go ahead and exercise.” While research has not uncovered any one magic type of exercise that’s best for sleep, pay attention to any patterns related to how different activities impact your ability to drift off and stay asleep.