Many people grew up drinking a glass of warm milk before bed to help lull them into sleep, and you may have “graduated” as an adult to a cup of warm chamomile tea, which is known for its calming properties. Certain foods, too, are known for their sleep-inducing effects. Cherries, for instance, are a natural source of the “sleep hormone” melatonin, and drinking tart cherry juice has been found to be beneficial in improving sleep duration and quality.2 Alternatively, almonds and spinach are rich in magnesium, which is known for promoting sleep and relaxing muscles.
Of course, the converse is also true in that certain foods can significantly interfere with your sleep. Anything with too much caffeine would certainly be among them, but so would spicy foods before bedtime, which are linked with more time spent awake during the night and taking longer to fall asleep.3
In general, you want to avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. These will raise your blood sugar and delay sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you may wake up and be unable to fall back asleep.
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