Foods to Help You Sleep: The Best Bedtime Snacks

By Candace Zafirellis
Published 10/14/2024
Updated 10/15/2024

You may have heard that a warm glass of milk can help you fall asleep at night, but there are actually lots of other foods that can help you naturally sleep better and feel more rested in the morning.

If you’re looking for a safe and natural sleep option, Health eCooks recipe website created this list of the best bedtime snacks that are delicious, healthy and easy to make.

Getting a good night’s sleep is not only important for functioning throughout the day, it can affect everything from your mood and productivity to your heart, weight and immunity. While most of us know it’s important to get a good night’s sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation, 6 out of 10 Americans have sleep problems.

If you often find that sleep is just beyond your reach, eating a healthy bedtime snack may help you achieve a more restful slumber. Here are some foods that can help you sleep better, as well as easy snack recipes to make for each one.

Does a glass of milk really help you sleep?

Your grandma was right! Drink a glass of milk before bedtime. Both dairy and fortified nut milk are among the best snacks to help you sleep. In fact, any food containing calcium helps you achieve and remain in the deepest levels of sleep. Along with milk, other high calcium bedtime snacks to try are cheese, yogurt and even kale.

The nutrients in a banana make it a healthy bedtime snack

This inexpensive fruit contains L-tryptophan, an essential amino acid that aids the body in producing serotonin to help you fall into a deep REM sleep. Plus, potassium and magnesium in bananas naturally help muscles relax.

Cherries are one of the best fruits to eat before bed

Cherries naturally have melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the sleep cycle. In fact, one research study showed that tart cherry juice helped participants sleep an average of 84 more minutes per night. For those of us who enjoy hitting the snooze button in the morning, an extra hour and a half of sleep sounds like heaven!

  • Cherry Smoothie

    Heart Healthy Cherry Smoothie
    10 mins

    This smoothie packs a double punch for helping you sleep better, with both cherries and bananas in the recipe. A quick and easy snack, this deliciously sweet smoothie is gluten free and low calorie, making it the perfect bedtime snack.

    View Recipe

  • Black Forest Trifle

    Heart Healthy Black Forest Trifle
    30 mins
    View Recipe

These nut recipes are a good bedtime snack or healthy mid-day treat

Walnuts are a natural source of melatonin and a good source of L-tryptophan, the ingredient in turkey that always make you sleepy. Peanuts and peanut butter are also good sources of L-tryptophan. And while you may have never thought of eating pistachios before bed, these tasty green nuggets are loaded with vitamin B-6 and unsaturated fat, which help improve serotonin levels and regulate the sleep-wake cycle.

Chickpeas can naturally help you sleep

If you enjoy snacking on healthy veggies before bed but wish you had a little something extra, hummus is the answer. Chickpeas are the main ingredient in hummus, and they’re rich in several important nutrients for regulating the sleep cycle, including folate, vitamin B-6 and L-tryptophan.

Snacks that help you sleep and snacks to avoid

If you’re looking for snacks that can help you sleep, keep this list of the best bedtime snacks handy in your kitchen. But you should also be aware of popular snack foods that may prevent a good night’s sleep. Simple carbs and saturated fats are difficult to digest and can make it harder to fall asleep, so avoid refined sugar, fast food, caffeine and alcohol.

Looking for more healthy snack options you can enjoy any time of day? Here are more quick and easy heart healthy snacks to try.

Trying to cut your budget while still eating healthy and delicious meals? Here are some cheap and easy copycat fast food recipes to make.

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