Eat the Right Foods for Better Sleep

Commit to some simple changes to your meals and snacks, and you could see a big difference in your sleep. By now, it’s not news that sleep is important for better health and better brain function. But despite what we know about the need for adequate sleep, many of us seem to keep pushing the limits of how little sleep we can get by with. And on top of that, aside from just staying up too late, plenty of Americans report problems falling asleep and staying asleep.

Key Takeaways

• Diet quality directly affects sleep quality, with fiber-rich foods promoting deeper, more restorative sleep.

• Ultra-processed foods are increasingly linked to insomnia and disrupted sleep patterns.

• Supporting your gut microbiome with fruits, vegetables, and whole foods may improve sleep naturally.

America’s Sleep Deficit is Affecting Health

Research shows that at least one out of three of us doesn’t get enough sleep (at least seven hours per night). The health problems related to this lack of sleep include gaining too much weight, developing high blood sugar, suffering from high blood pressure and serious heart problems, as well as a greater chance of anxiety.1 

Plus, according to research at MIT, lack of sleep even affects how you walk. Their study, performed on college students, shows that what seems like an automatic activity, like walking, becomes less graceful and clumsier if you don’t get enough sleep.2 

But there’s simple, effective help available for the sleep-impaired. It starts in your kitchen…

How What You Eat Affects Your Sleep

One of the biggest advances in sleep science is the growing recognition of the gut-brain axis. Researchers now believe that fiber-rich diets may improve sleep partly by nourishing beneficial gut bacteria, which influence inflammation, neurotransmitter production, and your body's production of the sleep hormone, melatonin. 

Multiple recent reviews conclude that eating a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, olive oil, fish, and whole grains is consistently associated with better sleep quality and fewer insomnia symptoms.  

In fact, a 2025 study led by Columbia researcher, Marie-Pierre St-Onge, found that increasing fruit and vegetable intake improved sleep quality by 16%, with benefits appearing as early as the very next night! 

What's more, drinking a warm mug of milk before bed is more than an old wives' tale to get good sleep. 

New research continues to identify naturally occurring milk peptides that may help reduce stress and promote sleep. Some studies suggest these peptides may work through both the gut microbiome and the melatonin pathway. 

What To Avoid Eating if You Want Restful Sleep

Studies now pinpoint one of the chief villains for ruining sleep: Eating too much processed food. Consuming a diet heavy in low-fiber, high-sugar, high-additive foods, along with the unhealthy fats in fast foods, can ruin sleep. This kind of eating ruins your health, too! 

Recent research has found that people who consume the most ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have a significantly higher risk of chronic insomnia, even after accounting for lifestyle factors and overall diet quality. Researchers now consider UPFs a major contributor to poor sleep. 

A study conducted at the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, involving 26 people with an average age of 35, confirms this. It shows that eating meals of processed food during the day causes lighter, less restorative sleep that is restless and disrupted during the night. But when the same subjects consumed high-fiber foods, those meals led to increased, deep, refreshing, slow-wave sleep.3  

"Our main finding was that diet quality influenced sleep quality," says researcher Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD. "It was most surprising that a single day of greater fat intake and lower fiber could influence sleep parameters." That bears repeating… a single day of healthy eating can help you sleep better. If that’s not motivation to make healthier dietary choices today, I don’t know what is.

Beware of Unhealthy Eating Brought on By Lack of Sleep

Unfortunately, eating a lot of overly processed, sugary, fiber-free foods can not only ruin your sleep and cause you to sleep less, but also make it harder to stop eating those unhealthy foods. 

A study at the University of Chicago shows that sleeping too little stimulates chemical signals in the body that make you crave extra sugary, salty junk foods like cookies, chips, and candy. The chemical signal that puts you into junk food mode has the tongue-twisting name endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). Under normal circumstances, your blood 2-AG level is low at night and high in the afternoon. But missing sleep keeps your 2-AG levels elevated into the late evening hours. The result? Increased hunger and stronger urges to raid the refrigerator late at night can threaten your health and waistline.4 

The Truth About Tryptophan

Now, for as long as I can remember, folks have maintained that one of the main reasons you get sleepy after a heavy Thanksgiving meal is the amino acid tryptophan that is found in turkey meat. 

 And it’s true that when tryptophan gets into your brain, it’s one of the ingredients the body uses to make serotonin, which, in turn, gets made into the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. However, to cross the blood-brain barrier into brain tissue, tryptophan competes with other amino acids (protein building blocks) in the meal that can latch onto the same brain-barrier-crossing receptors. 

But you can give tryptophan a leg up in this competitive journey by eating healthy carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables) along with tryptophan-rich foods like poultry, tuna, milk, and cheese. The carbohydrates stimulate the release of insulin, which diverts the other amino acids into muscle tissue.5

Your Sleep-Friendly Eating Pattern

• Eat more vegetables and fruit.

• Choose whole grains over refined grains.

• Include nuts, legumes, and fish regularly.

• Limit ultra-processed foods and sugary snacks.

• Avoid large meals close to bedtime. 

The path to more restful nights begins with simple choices made at the grocery store and around the dinner table. By filling your plate with nutrient-dense whole foods and limiting ultra-processed foods, you may be able to break the cycle of poor sleep and poor eating, helping you wake up feeling more refreshed, energized, and ready to take on the day.

Summary

Emerging research shows that what you eat during the day can have a profound effect on how well you sleep at night. Diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and other fiber-rich foods support healthy gut bacteria, improve melatonin production, and are linked to better sleep quality. In contrast, ultra-processed foods high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and additives can disrupt sleep and increase the risk of chronic insomnia. Sleep deprivation can also trigger cravings for unhealthy foods, creating a vicious cycle of poor diet and poor sleep. Including tryptophan-rich foods such as milk, poultry, tuna, and cheese—especially when paired with healthy carbohydrates—may further promote restful sleep.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can changing my diet really improve my sleep?

Yes. Research shows that increasing fiber-rich foods and reducing ultra-processed foods can improve sleep quality, sometimes within just one day.

What foods are best for better sleep?

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, and tryptophan-rich foods like milk, poultry, tuna, and cheese may support better sleep.

What foods should I avoid before bed?

Avoid ultra-processed foods, sugary snacks, fast food, and large meals close to bedtime, as these may disrupt sleep.

How does gut health affect sleep?

Beneficial gut bacteria help regulate inflammation and influence the production of neurotransmitters and melatonin, which play important roles in sleep.

Why do I crave junk food when I'm tired?

Sleep deprivation alters hunger hormones and increases levels of compounds like 2-AG, which can trigger cravings for sugary and salty foods.

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