from the publishers of: Verywell, Real Simple, EatingWell, Shape, Parents, Health and Allrecipes
Quality and restful sleep are essential for recovery, memory and learning, and participation in daily activities. Moreover, healthy sleep patterns are crucial for health because poor sleep contributes to chronic conditions.
Diet plays an integral role in sleep. Foods rich in essential minerals like magnesium, calcium, iron, and potassium help the body and mind relax. Adding these nutrients to your evening routine improves sleep quality.
Calcium has multiple roles in sleep. Maintaining adequate calcium levels helps with falling and staying asleep. Additionally, calcium’s role in nerve signaling contributes to its effect on sleep. Calcium regulates brain waves during the restful sleep phase (non-rapid eye movement sleep).
Dairy products, fatty fish with bones, and certain vegetables like kale and bok choy naturally contain calcium. A 3.5-ounce serving of nonfat plain Greek yogurt has 111 mg of calcium, and one cup of cooked spinach provides 245 mg.
Other foods, such as orange juice and non-dairy milk (soy), are fortified with calcium.
The mineral iron carries oxygen throughout the body and supports normal cell function. Iron deficiency is associated with poor sleep, insomnia, and sleep apnea.
It is unclear exactly how iron affects sleep. However, researchers believe iron’s role in neurotransmitter production influences its effect on sleep.
Research shows that iron deficiency also contributes to restless leg syndrome, which causes intense urges to move the legs. Restless legs syndrome affects sleep quality. Supplementing with iron reduces symptoms of restless leg syndrome and may improve sleep quality, but additional research is necessary.
Iron is found in animal and plant foods. A 3.5-ounce flank steak contains almost 2 mg of iron, one cup of cooked lentils provides 6.5 mg, and a 3.5-ounce serving of raw pumpkin seeds has 8 mg.
Tart cherries are a good source of melatonin, a hormone important for sleep. Melatonin levels fluctuate depending on the time of day. Melatonin is higher in the evening to facilitate sleep and lower in the morning to help wake up.
Eating foods rich in melatonin increases it in the body. Research shows that eating tart cherries or drinking tart cherry juice raises melatonin levels to improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia.
Daytime and artificial light inhibit the body’s ability to produce melatonin. Instead, snack on cherries or drink tart cherry juice in the evening when it is dark to help raise the body’s melatonin production.
Oats are a great source of fiber and other nutrients beneficial for sleep, like iron, calcium, and magnesium. A half-cup serving of oats contains 10 grams (g) of fiber and more than 4 mg of iron.
The glycemic index reflects how much a food raises blood sugar. High-glycemic foods cause a surge in blood sugar, which is then followed by the release of insulin to remove the sugar from the bloodstream.
However, insulin release sometimes causes blood sugar to dip too low (hypoglycemia). When this occurs, the body compensates by releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to increase blood sugar. These fluctuations in blood sugar affect sleep quality.
Oats are a low-glycemic food, meaning they have less impact on blood sugar. The high fiber content of oats helps keep blood sugar stable, preventing any fluctuations throughout the night that can affect sleep and cause you to wake up more throughout the night.
Whole grains include brown rice, barley, bulgur, quinoa, oatmeal, and products made from whole wheat flour. Conversely, white bread, pasta, rice, and other products made from white flour are considered refined grains.
Refined grains are associated with lighter sleep and waking up more at night. Unlike refined grains, whole grains are rich in fiber. A high-fiber diet is linked to more restorative sleep and improved sleep quality.
Notably, among postmenopausal women (people in the time of life after menopause, when the menstrual cycle has permanently stopped), a diet rich in whole grains instead of refined grains is associated with lower rates of insomnia.
Bananas are a great source of potassium. It exists in all tissues throughout the body and regulates organ function, muscle contraction, and signaling between nerve cells (neurons). One banana contains 375 milligrams of potassium.
One study shows potassium levels fluctuate based on circadian rhythms. Changes in potassium levels may reflect nerve and brain cell activity that occurs with sleep and wakefulness.
However, despite these natural fluctuations, lower potassium concentrations are associated with worsened sleep quality.
Almonds contain sleep-enhancing nutrients like potassium, calcium, magnesium, tryptophan, and melatonin. A 3.5-ounce serving of raw, whole almonds has more than 250 mg of calcium and magnesium and more than 700 mg of potassium.
The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet) emphasizes foods rich in potassium and magnesium. One study found that the high potassium content of the DASH diet reduced sleepiness and sleep issues among women.
Moreover, consuming foods high in potassium, magnesium, and fiber improves sleep quality in women.
Herbal teas that contain valerian root, lemon balm, and chamomile confer additional relaxation benefits that encourage sleep. These herbs act on the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) to facilitate and improve sleep quality. GABA is the primary neurotransmitter that regulates sleep.
Valerian root is an herbal supplement traditionally used as a sedative. Regularly drinking valerian root tea may help you fall asleep more quickly and improve sleep quality and deep sleep.
Chamomile tea has been used as a tranquilizer for thousands of years. It relaxes the body and improves sleep quality.
Traditional medicine uses lemon balm for digestive issues and anxiety. Its compounds treat insomnia and encourage better sleep overall. Be mindful of drinking too much liquid close to bedtime, which may cause waking to urinate.
Tryptophan is a protein (amino acid) in turkey that makes people sleepy. The body breaks down tryptophan into melatonin, causing you to feel tired after eating large portions of turkey.
Tryptophan crosses the blood-brain barrier to release the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is then converted into melatonin.
A 3-ounce turkey breast contains 0.24 mg of tryptophan. Pair turkey breast with a whole-grain carbohydrate like farro or bulgur for a tryptophan boost. Consuming tryptophan with carbohydrates allows more to cross the blood-brain barrier, resulting in greater melatonin production.
Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines are high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. Omega-3s and vitamin D are important for serotonin production and melatonin levels.
Diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids are linked to falling asleep faster, sleeping longer, and better sleep quality. Notably, the omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) affects sleep by influencing the body’s production of melatonin.
Vitamin D receptors in the brain regulate sleep, so it is crucial to maintain sufficient vitamin D levels for good sleep. According to one meta-analysis, a vitamin D deficiency defined as less than 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) increases the risk of poor sleep by nearly 60%.
Leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale are good sources of magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Magnesium is a micronutrient essential for numerous reactions in the body. One cup of cooked spinach has nearly 160 mg of magnesium, and one cup of cooked kale has 45 mg of magnesium.
Magnesium helps people fall asleep faster and increases sleep duration. Magnesium regulates certain neurotransmitters and the stress hormone cortisol to facilitate relaxation and reduce stress in the brain and body.
Research in humans indicates that higher magnesium concentrations are associated with the recommended sleep time of seven to nine hours nightly. Moreover, according to some studies, people with better sleep quality have higher magnesium levels.
Check with your healthcare provider if you’ve attended to your sleep hygiene, gotten enough exercise, tried to modify your diet, and are still having trouble sleeping. This is especially important if you’ve had trouble sleeping for over two weeks.
Changing your diet may improve your sleep. Leafy greens, fatty fish, almonds, bananas, cherries, turkey, and whole grains contain nutrients that encourage sleep.
Consider eating sleep-enhancing foods and pairing them together to help even more with sleep. For example, make oatmeal with milk, bananas, cherries, and almonds for a bedtime snack. Check with your healthcare provider if you have trouble sleeping for over two weeks.
