The five science-backed foods that really will get you a good night's sleep, revealed by DR EMILY LEEMING By Dr Emily Leeming, Dietitian And Microbiome Scientist Published: 20:59 EDT, 12 August 2024 | Updated: 21:06 EDT, 12 August 2024 e-mail View comments People who struggle to sleep well – and that's roughly one in five of us, according to research – will be used to hearing familiar advice about wind-down bedtime routines, such as banishing your mobile phone well before lights out, taking a hot bath and even investing in blackout blinds. But you may be less familiar with the fact that what you eat throughout the day can play a part, too, as research is increasingly showing. Let me be clear: there's no single food that will cure insomnia, but there is certainly evidence that some foods can help you sleep better and for longer.
And that's important, because sleep is as essential for health and survival as food and water. It plays a significant role in our overall health, wellbeing and mood, for instance, as well as affecting our risk of long-term diseases. Poor sleep disrupts critical processes throughout your body, such as your immune system, making you more susceptible to infections – while certain foods that promote good sleep can have the opposite effect, as getting enough restful sleep strengthens your immune system.
There's no single food that will cure insomnia, but there is certainly evidence that some foods can help you sleep better and for longer, writes Dr Em.