Sleep is essential for our health and wellbeing, yet many people struggle with getting enough quality rest. While factors such as stress and lifestyle play a role, diet can also impact our sleep quality.
Getting a good night’s sleep is important to energise us through the day and helps our brain to function well, it also influences our immune system, metabolism and hormonal balance. Poor sleep can make us more prone to illness, disrupt our blood sugar balance and lead to high blood pressure, headaches and migraines, and even lead to feelings of depression or low mood.
The good news is, there are some foods you can eat which help regulate sleep hormones, promote relaxation, and prevent disruptions during the night. By making a few simple changes, you can enhance your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Read on to find out the diet changes which could improve sleep. Next, read up on how to sleep better, how to get up early in the morning, and how to get to sleep.
1. Eat more magnesium-rich foods
Magnesium is a mineral known for its calming properties, helping to relax muscles and quieten the nervous system, as well as supporting the production of sleep-inducing neurotransmitters. So it’s no surprise that a deficiency in magnesium has been linked to insomnia and restless sleep. To boost your intake, incorporate foods such as spinach, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and oily fish into your diet.
Try our tomato & spinach kitchari or curried spinach chickpeas with eggs.
2. Consume more tryptophan-containing foods
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that the body converts into serotonin and melatonin, both of which are needed for sleep. Foods rich in tryptophan include yogurt, cheese, oats, eggs, bananas and peanuts. Eating these foods, particularly in combination with carbohydrates, can enhance tryptophan absorption and promote better sleep.
Give it a go with peanut butter & date oat pots or baked banana porridge.
3. Reduce caffeine and sugar intake
Caffeine is a stimulant that may interfere with sleep, especially if consumed in the afternoon or evening. If you’re struggling with sleep, try to limit coffee, tea and caffeinated soft drinks after midday. Similarly, high sugar consumption can cause blood sugar fluctuations, leading to energy spikes and crashes that may disrupt sleep. Ensure your meals are balanced with protein, healthy fats and fibre to maintain stable energy levels throughout the day.
Puy lentils with seared salmon is a great balanced meal, while red lentil chilli with guacamole is a good source of fibre and fat.
4. Eat your evening meal earlier
Eating a large meal too close to bedtime can interfere with sleep by increasing body temperature and causing digestive discomfort. Ideally, dinner should be consumed at least three to four hours before bedtime. This allows the body sufficient time to digest food, reducing the likelihood of acid reflux or indigestion disrupting sleep. If you’re someone who often craves a late-night snack, be sure to choose healthier options, such as almond butter spread on a slice of wholemeal toast or apple slices.
Check out our light dinner recipes, including teriyaki tofu with rice and broccoli.
5. Sip on herbal teas
Certain herbal teas have sedative properties that can promote relaxation and improve sleep. Chamomile, valerian root, and passionflower teas are particularly beneficial due to their calming effects on the nervous system. Drinking a warm cup of herbal tea in the evening can serve as a soothing bedtime ritual to help you unwind and prepare for sleep.
Make your own lemon & ginger tea or fresh mint tea.
10 foods to help you sleep
Incorporate these foods into your regular balanced diet to promote restful sleep:
1. Tart cherries and their juice
These cherries are a natural source of melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone that we naturally produce in the part of our brain called the pineal gland. Enjoy a glass of the juice 1-2 hours before bed.
2. Kiwi fruit
Kiwi fruit contain small amounts of melatonin, the natural ‘sleep’ hormone, that regulates our internal body clock and signals to the body that it’s time to rest. Eat two medium kiwifruit one hour before bed.
3. Warm milk
Milk is rich in the amino acid, tryptophan, which is a precursor to melatonin. Drink a cup of warm milk 30-60 minutes before bed.
4. Bananas
Bananas are a source of magnesium, potassium, vitamin B6 and tryptophan to support the production of melatonin and relax muscles. Enjoy with yogurt as an evening snack.
5. Oats
Oats are a complex carb and a source of magnesium, a bowl of oats before bed provides slow releasing energy and stabilises blood sugar levels and cortisol.
6. Oily fish
Oily fish, such as salmon, trout and mackerel, are useful sources of vitamin D which regulates melatonin production and sleep. Oily varieties of fish make a perfect supper choice.
7. Poultry
Poultry, like turkey and chicken are rich in tryptophan so again helps promote the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin.
8. Walnuts
Walnuts are a useful source of magnesium and melatonin and have been proven to enhance sleep quality.
9. Chamomile tea
Chamomile tea contains a protective compound called apigenin, that binds to receptors to promote drowsiness. Have a cup 30-60 minutes before bed.
10. Almonds
Almonds are a useful source of magnesium which helps muscles relax and reduces cortisol.
So, how can what you eat improve your sleep?
Making small changes to your diet is likely to have a noticeable impact on how you sleep. By increasing your intake of magnesium and tryptophan, reducing caffeine and sugar, eating earlier in the evening, and drinking herbal teas, you should be able to get a good night’s rest. Consistency is key—adopting these habits as part of your daily routine will help regulate your sleep patterns and improve overall wellbeing. If sleep issues persist despite dietary adjustments, consult a healthcare professional for further guidance.
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This article was reviewed on 20 April 2026 by Kerry Torrens.
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