What to eat for better sleep

Your diet affects your sleep. What foods can help you be your most rested self? Nutrition scientist and researcher Marie-Pierre St-Onge has research-backed tips on which foods to eat — and, spoilers, a lot of them are foods you either have in your fridge already or can work into nearly any recipe. Note: A previous version of this episode did not state the name of Marie-Pierre St. Onge's book, Eat Better, Sleep Better. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 0:17Marielle Segarra?

  You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.

• 0:22Marielle Segarra?

  Hey, everybody. It's Marielle. I don't know about y'all, but when I'm really tired, all I want to do, besides sleep, is lie around and eat carbs: pasta, bread, cake, cookies. And that's something researchers have identified, that our sleep quality can influence our dietary choices. But it turns out, the reverse is also true. What we eat day to day affects our sleep.

• 0:49Speaker 02

  What we have been finding is that what you eat in terms of various nutrients, like types of fats, and sugar, and fiber, can all play a role on sleep quality at night.

• 1:04Marielle Segarra?

  That's Marie-Pierre Saintonche, a nutrition scientist and researcher at Columbia University who studies the connection between sleeping and eating. Marie-Pierre decided to team up with Kat Kratik, CEO and editor-in-chief of the food and travel magazine Sever, to write a cookbook that'll help people sleep better. In it, they explain the science, talk about what to eat more of and less of, and then give a whole bunch of recipes that incorporate the nutrients you need to sleep well. On this episode of Life Kit, I talked to Marie-Pierre about the book. So if you've ever had trouble sleeping, this one's for you.

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• 3:11Marielle Segarra?

  Madi Piatte, you talk in the book about the chemicals in our bodies that play an important role in sleep. One of them is melatonin. What is it and why do we need it to sleep?

• 3:20Speaker 02

  So, melatonin is a hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle. So, that's important for helping one fall asleep, remain asleep throughout the night. And so, this is a hormone that's quite important, especially when we're talking about diet and its impact on sleep because it is produced in the body from an amino acid. And amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. But you must have heard about this one specific amino acid called tryptophan. And the importance of tryptophan is that it's considered an essential amino acid. And essential amino acids are those that we cannot produce ourselves.

• 4:05Speaker 02

  We must obtain from outside sources, which means, in our case, foods. So, this amino acid, when it's consumed, becomes converted to melatonin through various processes in the body that require other types of nutrients like zinc, magnesium and B vitamins. So, essential micronutrients that we also get from foods to produce melatonin.

• 4:34Marielle Segarra?

  Okay. And then there's serotonin, right? What is that and what role does it play in sleep?

• 4:40Speaker 02

  Serotonin is basically a messenger that relays information across the brain, throughout the body. It's also relevant for sleep because serotonin is considered to be a feel-good type of neurotransmitter. It makes people feel happy and is also related and important for sleep-wake cycle.

• 5:04Marielle Segarra?

  All right, takeaway one. If you want to sleep better, eat foods that contain tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that we have to get from food because our bodies don't produce it. And it's converted to serotonin and melatonin in the body.

• 5:19Marielle Segarra?

  Well, let's talk about tryptophan. People always talk about it around Thanksgiving because they say, oh, turkey has a lot of it and it makes you sleepy. I know that that's a misconception because you say tryptophan is not a sedative, right? It's not a thing you're supposed to eat just before bed to help you sleep.

• 5:39Speaker 02

  Yes. So, you know, the story related to turkey and feeling sleepy, it's not, you know, that far-fetched in a sense that, yes, turkey is a good source of tryptophan. But what we need to realize is that when you do eat foods, the nutrients that you get from the foods do not instantaneously make it to the brain to start up the production of melatonin in that short period of time that people would consider, you know, falling asleep on the sofa a few hours after eating a turkey-rich meal.

• 6:17Speaker 02

  What I suggest is to have the right nutrients available when time comes to produce and secrete melatonin for a good sleep onset.

• 6:31Marielle Segarra?

  So a way to do that, as you say in the book, is to eat tryptophan-rich foods. Throughout the day, what foods actually contain tryptophan besides turkey?

• 6:39Speaker 02

  So there are some also non-animal products that contain tryptophan. So we can think about tofu is a good source of tryptophan. Various legumes like lentils will have tryptophan. Other meat sources are beef, chicken. Lamb is a good source and pork are good sources of tryptophan. And from seafood, we could think about salmon, tuna. And then some dairy products, yogurts have tryptophan as well.

• 7:10Marielle Segarra?

  Marie Pierre says it's also helpful to eat foods that contain serotonin and melatonin. And to eat foods that contain certain micronutrients. Magnesium, zinc, vitamin B6, and folate. That's our takeaway too.

• 7:25Marielle Segarra?

  Well, you have your top 20 in here. You say, my top 20 powerhouse ingredients to stock your sleep-supporting kitchen. Why did you choose the 20 on this list?

• 7:37Speaker 02

  There are so many that I wanted to add in there. But we thought we'd get started with 20. Many of those have studies that support their benefit for sleep. So I'm thinking the cherries have some research. Pineapples, tomatoes, walnuts, dairy products. But also they're good sources for multiple of those sleep-supporting nutrients. Like, you know, barley, that could be, that's a good source for tryptophan. But also fiber, melatonin, magnesium, vitamin B6, and zinc.

• 8:15Speaker 02

  Pumpkin seeds also having, you know, a good blend of multiple of those nutrients. Individuals could start to incorporate some of these foods into their own diet. And maybe, you know, replacing some of the, some of the cooking oil that they use. For example, with extra virgin olive oil or adding, you know, spinach to various stews. And, and soups or stir fries. And that can help them get started on a healthy track.

• 8:43Marielle Segarra?

  Yeah, what are some other simple swaps that people can make in their recipes? To start eating more sleep-promoting foods?

• 8:50Speaker 02

  To me, the easy thing for all recipes is to add vegetables. So you don't have to take away anything, just add to it. Add more vegetables. You can sprinkle some nuts and seeds on top at the end as a finishing touch. That can just add a little bit more, you know, unsaturated fats and fiber and various complex carbohydrates and tryptophan. Maybe doing some simple snack swaps for a more processed, refined food product with a piece of fruit, like a banana, a bunch of cherries or oranges and pineapples. And then, you know, incorporating more nuts and seeds and plant-based proteins.

• 9:35Speaker 02

  And eventually that will then start to take the place of more refined carbohydrates, for example, or higher saturated fats, animal proteins.

• 9:46Marielle Segarra?

  Well, tell me some of your favorite recipes from the book.

• 9:50Speaker 02

  I'm a breakfast person. I love, love, love breakfast. I love the granolas quite a bit, both of them, but specifically the cherry ginger granola with cocoa nibs. I find is very different from what we're used to. And the ginger that's in there gives it a really nice tang. And

• 10:14Marielle Segarra?

  And sesame seeds too, right?

• 10:16Speaker 02

  Yeah, sesame seeds in there as well. And in my house, I always make a double batch and it goes in a week. You know, my kids, my husband, I, we have them, we have that granola any time of day. It just passed by, it's a big bowl, grab a spoonful, grab a handful and just, you know, have it as a snack too. But I also really like the overnight oats, the buckwheat porridge. I enjoy quite a bit. It has slivered almonds on top that gives it a nice crunch. And the buckwheat groats are also really chewy and really nice. The muffin tin quiche I like quite a bit. I think it's great when you're hosting a brunch.

• 10:59Speaker 02

  And also then it's, it gives you a little bit of portable type of breakfast or even you can dress it up for a lunch with leftovers if you'd like, with a side salad and things like that.

• 11:15Marielle Segarra?

  Some other recipes from the book. Soy braised butternut squash with miso butter and black sesame. Whole grain chicken porridge with scallions and sesame cashew crunch. A turkey and black bean burrito bowl with salsa verde and avocado. And a banana chamomile shortcake, which also includes Greek yogurt and sliced almonds.

• 11:37Marielle Segarra?

  Well, let's pivot here for a moment to what kind of foods disrupt our sleep?

• 11:44Speaker 02

  We've done quite a bit of research related to carbohydrates. And so there's a study that we conducted where we showed that women who had more refined carbohydrates in their diet and more added sugars in their diet had higher risk of insomnia. We often talk about and think about liquids when we're thinking about different foods and beverages that can have an influence on sleep. So for example, having caffeine too late in the day, that's often a culprit. You know, we know caffeine is a stimulant. But what people don't necessarily realize is that our body's ability to metabolize

• 12:28Speaker 02

  or process caffeine slows down with age. And so it takes the body longer to process caffeine and clear it out from your system as you get older. And so I always tell people it's good to reevaluate the timing of your last caffeine providing beverage in relation to your bedtime. And then we also talk about alcohol intake because, you know, contrary to caffeine, alcohol is a sedative. It can lead to more disrupted sleep in the second half of the night. And then you wake up not feeling as refreshed as you would if you hadn't had too much to drink the night before.

• 13:14Marielle Segarra?

  All right, takeaway three, consider limiting your intake of refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and alcohol. Also, if you're having trouble sleeping and you drink caffeine, try skipping that cup of coffee in the afternoon or swapping it out for something uncaffeinated.

• 13:30Marielle Segarra?

  Let's talk about some specific situations that make it hard for people to sleep and if there are any dietary tips that could help. So one is if you're traveling and you have jet lag.

• 13:41Speaker 02

  One thing that I like to tell people is to try to adopt the eating schedule of your new time zone very quickly. So eating meals when they're supposed to be eaten at the clock time of the place where you landed. So that will help to restore your circadian rhythms.

• 14:05Marielle Segarra?

  So what about if you're someone who works the night shift?

• 14:08Speaker 02

  Right, so for night shift workers, it becomes a little more complicated in terms of the timing of eating because they're awake during the night when your body is not in a state where it's primed to receive nutrients. So ideally, it would be to not eat too much at night, to not eat at all in the middle of the night if possible, and try to eat during daytime hours.

• 14:34Marielle Segarra?

  So try to eat the bulk of your food during the daytime hours, even if you're sleeping during the daytime hours?

• 14:39Speaker 02

  Yes, so for some people, it may mean having a meal when they arrive home before going to bed for their main sleep episode, and then eating a larger meal when they wake up from that, and then maybe a smaller meal or a snack late in the evening, depending on when their shift is.

• 14:59Marielle Segarra?

  If you could make one recommendation for how folks should change their diet to get better sleep, what would that be?

• 15:06Speaker 02

  Increase in takes of fruits and vegetables. That would be the first thing to do. You know, we often think about, you know, what should you not eat? But I think a better message is eat more of this, eat more of that, and maybe having more of this and that will help you push out some of the things that are not as helpful.

• 15:33Marielle Segarra?

  Okay, time for a recap. Takeaway one is to eat foods that contain tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that we get from food, and it's converted to serotonin and melatonin in the brain. Both of those play an important role in our sleep-wake cycle. Takeaway two, eat foods that contain serotonin and melatonin, and foods that are rich in the micronutrients magnesium, zinc, vitamin B6, and folate. We talked about that top 20 list of powerhouse ingredients to stock your sleep-supporting kitchen. Here it is. Almonds, bananas, barley, brown rice, cherries, chia seeds, extra virgin olive oil, ginger,

• 16:15Marielle Segarra?

  lentils, oats, pineapple, pumpkin seeds, salmon, spinach, tofu, tomatoes, turkey, walnuts, white beans, and yogurt. Takeaway three, consider limiting your intake of refined carbohydrates, added sugars, alcohol, and of course, caffeine. For more Life Kit, check out our other episodes. We have one about how to recover after a bad night's sleep, and another where we bust common sleep myths. You can find those at npr.org/lifekit. And if you love Life Kit, and sleep, and want more, subscribe to our special newsletter. It's a guide to better sleep. You can sign up at npr.org/sleepweek.

• 16:58Marielle Segarra?

  This episode of Life Kit was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kessler. Our visuals editor is Beck Harlan, and our digital editor is Malika Gharib. Megan Cain is our supervising editor, and Beth Donovan is our executive producer. Our production team also includes Andy Tagel, Claire Marie Schneider, Margaret Serino, and Sylvie Douglas. Engineering support comes from Gilli Moon and Zoe Vangenhoven. Fact-checking help from Aida Purasad. I'm Mary Elcigarra. Thanks for listening.