What Are the Best Foods to Eat for Better Sleep? We Asked a Nutritionist

Last Update: August 20, 2025

Some nights you may fall asleep the minute your head hits the pillow; others, you may toss and turn for hours. What gives?

According to Cynthia Sass, MPH, MA, RDN, CSSD, your diet has a lot to do with your quality of sleep. Sass is a performance nutrition and wellness consultant who has worked with MLB, NBA, and NHL teams and one-on-one with clients to help optimize their nutrition. When we asked her about the best foods to eat for sleep, she told us that focusing on your overall eating patterns is more important than adding (or omitting) individual foods.

“Understanding the link between food and sleep is important,” Sass says. “What, how, and when we eat can either support or interfere with healthy sleep, so food has a significant impact night after night.”

Here are her answers to the most common questions about how nutrition affects sleep — and the best foods you can eat for better sleep.

Frequently Asked Questions About Nutrition and Sleep (With Answers From a Nutritionist)

Why is sleep so important?

Sass says that just like the way the foods you eat affect your health and wellbeing, so does your quality of sleep. According to one study by the CDC, about 30% to 46% of adults in the U.S. don’t get enough sleep — which isn’t great for overall health.

According to Sass, some of the effects of poor sleep may include:

Irritability
Anxiety
Depression
Poor immune function
Increased risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes

Do the foods you eat affect your sleep quality?

“Certain foods have been identified as sleep enhancers, but it’s even more important to focus on the overall eating pattern,” Sass says. Consuming more whole foods over ultra-processed foods can make a big impact on your sleep.”

What is the best diet for better sleep?

“A mostly whole food, anti-inflammatory diet best optimizes sleep,” Sass says. “The Mediterranean diet in particular has been shown to support healthy sleep, which makes sense as this eating pattern is rich in veggies, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish and limits red meat, dairy foods, and added sugars. Any eating style with a similar makeup would likely provide comparable benefits.”

What are some of the best foods to eat for better sleep?

According to Sass, some of the best foods for sleep include:

Non-starchy vegetables. “Research shows that eating more produce is linked to deeper, less interrupted sleep, so I recommend consciously building veggies and fruits into meals and snacks so they’re never an afterthought,” Sass says. “For example, at lunch and dinner I generally advise my clients to work towards covering half of their plates with non-starchy veggies, either raw or cooked (sauteed, oven roasted, grilled) or make veggies half of the bulk of the meal in a mixed dish, like a grain bowl, stir fry, or pasta plate.
Fruits. “Fruits can be incorporated into breakfast meals (in smoothies, overnight oats, and chia pudding, or as a side dish with savory scrambles or avocado toast) and included as part of a daily snack, paired with nuts or yogurt.”

Fermented foods, like sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, and kefir. These foods are linked to falling asleep faster as well as a longer, deeper sleep pattern and fewer nighttime awakenings. This is likely due to how these foods impact the gut microbiome, anti-inflammation, and the gut-brain axis (communication between the digestive tract and nervous system).
Foods containing melatonin. Tart cherries, nuts (including pistachios), fatty fish (like salmon and sardines), and mushrooms contain melatonin, which raises the body’s level of this natural sleep hormone.
Foods containing magnesium. Nuts, seeds (like chia or pumpkin), beans, soy, whole grains (like oats, brown rice, quinoa), leafy greens, and avocado all supply magnesium, a mineral that enhances relaxation and supports falling asleep faster and sleeping longer.
Chamomile tea. This caffeine-free herbal drink enhances sleep due to its apigenin content, an antioxidant that acts as a natural sedative.

Which foods disrupt sleep, and why?

As a general rule, Sass recommends avoiding highly processed foods in favor of whole foods like vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins. “Refined carbs and sugary foods may impact sleep by triggering inflammation and wreaking havoc with blood sugar and energy levels,” she says. “The initial blood sugar spike can prevent winding down and relaxing, and the subsequent crash can lead to waking up due to rebound low blood sugar and hunger.

There’s another culprit that may be causing you to wake more often in the night: drinking too much liquid before bed. “Drinking too much liquid of any kind can interrupt sleep due to the need to urinate,” Sass explains. “Many of my clients don’t drink enough water during the day, which can lead to ‘backloading’ fluids between late afternoon and bedtime. When this is the case, I generally recommend shifting fluid intake up, drinking fluids evenly throughout the day, and tapering fluids off in the evening.”

According to Sass, here are some of the main foods that are generally linked to less restorative or disrupted sleep:

Foods that are low in fiber. Refined carbs (like white rice, bread, pasta, and ultra-processed foods)
Red meat and large protein portions. “These take longer to digest, which can create discomfort and prevent a smooth transition into sleep mode.”
Foods that are high in saturated fat. Think butter, fatty meats, and creamy sauces.
Foods that are high in sugar. Things like sweetened drinks, desserts, and candy may cause a sugar spike that impairs sleep.
Alcohol. “Alcohol may cause drowsiness, but it shortens REM sleep (which helps re-energize the brain), raises heart rate, and leads to more nighttime awakenings,” Sass explains. “Even moderate amounts (two drinks for men and one drink for women) have been shown to decrease sleep quality by 24%. Alcohol can also aggravate snoring and sleep apnea.”
Spicy foods. “These can stimulate the body and increase body temperature,” Sass says. “That’s disruptive because core body temperature naturally drops during healthy sleep. Fiery foods may also trigger acid reflux, which interferes with sleep.”
Coffee, tea, matcha, energy drinks, and other caffeine sources. “Caffeine, which can stay in the body for as long as 10 hours, is a stimulant that blocks sleep-inducing chemicals in the body,” Sass says. “The general recommendation is to cut off caffeine at least 8 hours before bedtime.”

How long before going to bed should you eat your last meal?

Sass recommends not eating too close to bedtime, as you need to give your body time to digest. “A general rule of thumb is to stop eating three to four hours before bedtime, unless you’ve been advised otherwise by your doctor or personal dietitian.”

Does your body digest food while you sleep?

“Yes, but much more slowly,” Sass says. “Metabolic rate, or the amount of energy the body uses overall decreases during sleep. This impacts every bodily function, including digestion.”