Almonds, walnuts, and pistachios are top nuts for sleep, providing melatonin, magnesium, and tryptophan, which help regulate sleep and relax muscles, while walnuts and almonds also offer magnesium and zinc, crucial for better sleep quality, making them excellent bedtime snacks.
When it comes to plant foods, nuts are the richest sources of melatonin. Pistachios and almonds are especially high in melatonin. As a bonus, pistachios are also high in vitamin B6, which helps convert tryptophan (an essential amino acid) into melatonin. But roasting nuts may reduce their melatonin content.
Snacks for Sleepiness
Your body can't produce tryptophan on its own — it has to be obtained through your diet. Good sources: turkey, chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, edamame, peanuts, tofu, quinoa and pumpkin seeds. Melatonin, a hormone your body makes to help with your sleep cycle.
Walnuts contain sleep-promoting hormones, such as melatonin. A new study found that eating a handful of walnuts with dinner can improve your sleep. Walnuts contain sleep-friendly compounds like melatonin that help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Gamaldo recommends warm milk, chamomile tea and tart cherry juice for patients with sleep trouble. Though there isn't much scientific proof that any of these nighttime drinks work to improve your slumber, there's no harm in trying them, Gamaldo says.
Relax, unwind and try meditation to help you sleep
Avoid electronic devices at least an hour before bed, as mobiles, tablets and computers all throw out blue light that stops sleep. Reading, listening to soft music or a podcast, or sleep meditation can all help if you have trouble sleeping.
Herbal teas like chamomile and valerian can help you fall asleep faster and improve your sleep quality. Drinking water throughout the day keeps you hydrated, which is important for better sleep.
Nuts like pistachios and walnuts contain significant amounts to boost your bedtime. Tryptophan: This essential amino acid supports the production of serotonin and melatonin, both of which are critical for falling—and staying—asleep.
Melatonin is a hormone that regulates our sleep-wake cycle. Milk, nuts, cherries, fish, rice, goji berries, and oats contain melatonin. Avoid spicy food, chocolate, tomatoes, pizza, and citrus fruits before bed. Your daily diet and sleep hygiene are key to improving sleep.
Potential Health Risks
Both walnuts and almonds, like many other nuts and seeds, contain phytic acid, a natural substance that can bind with certain minerals in the gut and prevent their absorption. This could potentially lead to mineral deficiencies over time if these nuts are a central part of your diet.
Quick fixes to improve deep sleep:
Certain fruits, nuts, and grains naturally contain melatonin, including tart cherries and cherry juice, tomatoes, walnuts, and milk. Eating these foods, especially in larger portions or alongside a carb-heavy meal, may lead to feelings drowsiness by increasing circulating melatonin levels in the body.
The 3-2-1 bedtime method is a simple sleep hygiene strategy: stop eating 3 hours before bed, stop working 2 hours before bed, and stop using screens (phones, tablets, TVs) 1 hour before sleep, helping your body transition to rest by reducing stimulants and digestive load for better sleep quality. A more detailed version adds 10 hours (no caffeine) and 0 (no snoozing) for a 10-3-2-1-0 rule.
Furthermore, ramelteon was found to be about 10 times more potent than melatonin in promoting sleep.
Tart cherries.
Their high level of dietary melatonin makes these sleep-friendly. In addition, tart cherries are high in antioxidants and their anti-inflammatory characteristics can help improve the quality of your sleep.
A study at the European Society of Endocrinology found that salty foods, such as crisps and salted nuts, were some of the worst foods to eat before bed as they contributed to disrupted – or “superficial” – sleep.
Tart cherry juice is one of the best-known sleep aids. Researchers have found that it increases melatonin levels in the body and enhances sleep. Keep in mind that cherry juice is high in sugar. Drinking it nightly could significantly raise your intake of calories.
Everyone's “normal” is different, but some of the symptoms of low melatonin levels include:
Drinks to help you sleep
Best Foods for Sleep
So it's much better to avoid munching on nuts after a meal or in the evening in front of the TV because that will burden the digestion and end up raising the intake of unnecessary calories.
“Many nuts such as almonds, walnuts and pistachios have melatonin, along with magnesium and zinc, which together can help people get a better night's sleep,” Melendez-Klinger says. Spread some nut butter on a rice cake for the ultimate before-bed snack. (Basic peanut butter and crackers works, too.)
The 1-2-3 Rule for drinking is a guideline for moderate alcohol consumption: no more than 1 drink per hour, no more than 2 drinks per occasion, and ideally, at least 3 alcohol-free days per week, with variations like the 0-1-2-3 adding zero drinks if driving, pregnant, or underage. This simple framework helps pace intake and avoid heavy drinking, aligning with expert advice to stay within lower-risk limits, though some agencies suggest even lower weekly limits.
In addition to behavioral tools, healthy eating, and lifestyle choices, drinking tea can also help with stress and anxiety relief.