Whilst it’s not a good idea to go to bed after a very heavy meal or highly sugary foods (see Lesson: Causes of Sleep Disturbances – Food), it’s also not good to go to bed hungry as the hunger pains can wake you up. 

Ideally you want to eat your main meal a few hours before bed, however a light snack before bed can be beneficial if blood sugars drop or hunger pains disturb sleep. 

Please note, if your client has type 2 diabetes and is struggling with sleep you may want to recommend they speak to their doctor for recommendations about late night snacking.

There are foods which are more beneficial to aiding sleep, as they contain higher levels of tryptophan, serotonin and/or melatonin which are the chemicals needed for sleep. The body then turns tryptophan into serotonin and melatonin. Melatonin signals to the body that it is time to sleep, while serotonin regulates sleep, hunger, and emotions. 

What to Eat for Sleep – Suggestions:

Almonds contain serotonin and magnesium, the magnesium reduces the stress hormone cortisol which interrupts sleep.

Turkey contains tryptophan which increases the production of melatonin. 

Kiwi Fruit: a study with 24 adults found after eating 2 kiwi fruits, one hour before going to bed, they fell asleep 42% quicker (1). 

Fatty Fish due to their vitamin D and omega-3 content which may make you fall asleep quicker (2).

Oats as they have slow release carbohydrates so will keep you full for longer and are also a source of melatonin.

It is worth remembering there isn’t a ‘magic’ food which will instantly make you fall asleep and stay asleep all through the night. Food is best seen as part of the combination of other factors which will help you sleep. It may also be best to ensure your client isn’t snacking all evening, eating rich foods late at night and that working on eating less or earlier in the evening could be of benefit to sleep patterns. 

What to Eat for Sleep Helps with the Following Sleep Disturbances:

• Food

References

1. Lin, H. H., Tsai, P. S., Fang, S. C., & Liu, J. F. (2011). Effect of kiwifruit consumption on sleep quality in adults with sleep problems. Asia Pacific Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, 20(2), 169–174.
2. Hansen, A. L., Dahl, L., Olson, G., Thornton, D., Graff, I. E., Frøyland, L., Thayer, J. F., & Pallesen, S. (2014). Fish consumption, sleep, daily functioning, and heart rate variability. Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 10(5), 567–575.