What is the best thing to eat before bedtime?

November 22, 2025 •

3 min read

According to the Sleep Foundation, many foods contain compounds that influence sleep-related hormones and brain activity. Choosing the right small, nutritious snack can significantly improve your sleep quality, so knowing what is the best thing to eat before bedtime is a key part of good sleep hygiene.

Quick Summary

This article details optimal small snacks and drinks, such as almonds, tart cherries, and chamomile tea, that can promote better sleep. It highlights the roles of nutrients like melatonin, tryptophan, and magnesium, while also identifying which foods and beverages to avoid late in the evening for more restful nights.

Key Points

Prioritize Tryptophan and Melatonin: Choose foods high in tryptophan (precursor to serotonin and melatonin) and melatonin itself to help regulate your sleep-wake cycle.
Combine Carbohydrates and Protein: Eating a balanced snack with both complex carbs and protein can help tryptophan reach the brain more effectively, boosting its sleep-inducing effects.
Choose Magnesium-Rich Snacks: Incorporate foods with magnesium, a mineral known for its muscle-relaxing properties, such as almonds, pumpkin seeds, and spinach.
Avoid Heavy, Fatty, or Spicy Foods: Heavy, high-fat, or spicy meals can cause indigestion and heartburn, which can severely disrupt sleep, especially when lying down.
Steer Clear of Caffeine and Sugar: Stimulants like caffeine and spikes from high-sugar foods can interrupt your natural sleep cycle and should be avoided close to bedtime.
Time Your Snack Wisely: For optimal digestion and sleep, aim to have your small bedtime snack one to two hours before you go to sleep.
Consider Herbal Teas: Chamomile tea is a well-known sleep aid containing antioxidants that can promote sleepiness and reduce anxiety.

Sleep-Promoting Nutrients: The Bedtime Essentials

Understanding the role of key nutrients is crucial for identifying what is the best thing to eat before bedtime. Tryptophan, an amino acid, is converted into serotonin and melatonin, hormones that regulate sleep. Melatonin specifically manages the sleep-wake cycle. Minerals like magnesium and potassium also contribute through muscle relaxation. Consuming these nutrients with complex carbohydrates can enhance their sleep-promoting effects.

Top Tier Snacks for a Restful Night

Consuming a light snack (under 200 calories) one to two hours before bed is generally recommended. Some beneficial options include:

Almonds and Walnuts: Sources of melatonin, magnesium, and healthy fats that can calm the nervous system.
Tart Cherries: Known for their natural melatonin content, potentially improving sleep duration and quality.
Kiwi: May aid in falling asleep faster and sleeping longer, possibly due to serotonin.
Greek Yogurt or Cottage Cheese with Berries: Provide calcium, which helps the body use tryptophan, and protein for satiety.
Oatmeal: Offers complex carbohydrates, melatonin, and magnesium, aiding tryptophan's journey to the brain.

Combining Carbs, Protein, and Fats

A balanced snack with carbohydrates and protein or healthy fats is often most effective. This combination helps maintain stable blood sugar levels, preventing disruptions to sleep.

Creative Snack Combinations

Whole-grain crackers with cheese: Combines complex carbs and tryptophan.
Banana with almond butter: Offers magnesium, potassium, and healthy fats.
Pumpkin seeds with a few raisins: Rich in magnesium and tryptophan, with carbs assisting tryptophan absorption.

What to Avoid Before Bed

Avoiding certain foods is as important as choosing the right ones. Some items can interfere with sleep through stimulation or digestive issues.

Caffeine: A stimulant found in coffee, some teas, and chocolate, which can impede sleep for hours.
Spicy and Acidic Foods: Can cause heartburn and acid reflux, especially when lying down.
Heavy, Fatty Meals: Difficult to digest and can lead to discomfort.
Alcohol: While initially sedating, it disrupts sleep later in the night.
Sugary Snacks and Refined Carbs: Can cause blood sugar fluctuations that interfere with melatonin and promote restlessness.

Best and Worst Bedtime Snack Comparison


Aspect	Best Thing to Eat Before Bedtime	Worst Things to Eat Before Bedtime
Nutrient Content	Rich in melatonin, tryptophan, magnesium, and complex carbs.	High in caffeine, sugar, saturated fat, or acid.
Digestion	Light, easily digestible, and promotes muscle relaxation.	Heavy, greasy, and slow to digest, causing discomfort.
Effect on Sleep	Supports natural hormone production and a calm state.	Stimulates the nervous system or disrupts blood sugar, leading to restlessness.
Examples	Small bowl of oatmeal, almonds, Greek yogurt with berries, tart cherry juice.	Large pizza, chocolate bar, spicy tacos, sugary cereal, alcohol.

Conclusion

Identifying what is the best thing to eat before bedtime involves choosing small, nutrient-rich snacks that support sleep rather than disrupt it. Prioritize options containing sleep-promoting compounds like tryptophan and melatonin, ideally paired with complex carbohydrates. Avoiding stimulating or heavy foods in the hours before bed can significantly enhance your sleep quality. Finding the ideal combination requires listening to your body and maintaining overall dietary balance. For more comprehensive advice, consider resources like the Sleep Foundation for broader sleep hygiene tips.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, bananas are a great bedtime snack. They contain magnesium and potassium, which help relax your muscles, and tryptophan, which your body converts to the sleep-regulating hormones serotonin and melatonin.

Warm milk is a classic bedtime beverage for a reason. It contains tryptophan and calcium, which are both beneficial for producing sleep-promoting hormones. The warmth can also be a soothing part of a relaxing bedtime ritual.

Yes, eating a handful of almonds is an excellent option. They are a good source of magnesium and healthy fats and contain melatonin, all of which contribute to better sleep quality.

Yes, it is best to avoid spicy foods before bed. Spicy meals can cause indigestion and increase your body temperature, both of which can lead to a restless and disrupted night of sleep.

A bowl of low-sugar, whole-grain cereal with milk is a great choice because the complex carbohydrates help the body use the tryptophan in the milk to produce melatonin more effectively.

Fatty and heavy foods, like pizza or fried items, take longer for the body to digest. This slow digestion can cause discomfort and potential acid reflux, interfering with your ability to fall and stay asleep.

Yes, several studies have shown that tart cherry juice can be an effective sleep aid. It is a natural source of melatonin, which helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle, and can improve both the duration and quality of sleep.