While green smoothies can help you wake up and get energized for the day, they can also help you sleep. This bedtime smoothie is full of soothing ingredients that will help prepare your body for a great night’s sleep.
Gone are the days of tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep. Now I’ve got some great foods that help you sleep like lavender sleep tea and this light bedtime smoothie as well as tips on how to sleep well.
Sleep is integral to good health. It supports healthy brain function which makes you more alert and focused during the day, is linked to emotional well-being, and boosts your immune system to keep any yucky germs at bay.
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Unfortunately, nearly 35% of Americans suffer from symptoms of insomnia. It’s time we take advantage of the natural foods and drinks that support better sleep. Eating a healthy, varied diet and getting a good night’s sleep can help you enjoy the best life possible.
Ingredients in My Bedtime Smoothie
This recipe is full of foods that help you sleep. Here’s how each one can work for you when sipped in a deep-sleep smoothie:
- Rolled oats: Oats contain melatonin which can assist sleep.
- Spinach: Leafy greens like spinach contain high amounts of magnesium, along with a whole host of other ingredients.
- Chamomile tea: This soothing tea contains antioxidants that promote sleep.
- Tart cherry juice: This type of cherry juice specifically contains melatonin and can help improve sleep quality and deepness of sleep.
- Banana: The magnesium in bananas can help relax your muscles for sleep.
- Almond butter: Almonds also contain magnesium as well as healthy fat, which can help you feel full all night long.
How to Make A Bedtime Smoothie
I created a smoothie recipe with specific foods that help you sleep—both falling asleep and staying asleep. Yes, it’s legit! Here’s how I’m blending it:
- Blend the rolled oats until finely ground. Making this oat flour first will help it blend into the other ingredients better and leave you with a less gritty smoothie.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the blender. Puree until smooth. Stop the blender and scrape down the sides if needed to make sure all those leafy chunks get well blended.
Start sipping this smoothie about an hour before you’re ready to go to bed. Drink it at a slow and steady pace (no chugging).
Healthy Habits to Sleep Well
Along with drinking a soothing beverage before bedtime, here are a few more tricks I found help lead me to slumberland more quickly and deeply:
- A good, quality pillow: Whether it’s a buckwheat pillow or a memory foam pillow, find one that correctly supports your neck and upper back. This keeps your spine in alignment while sleeping. I’ve tried several and both of these brands are the best out there.
- Sleep with earplugs: I started using earplugs back in college dealing with noisy roommates and neighbors. I can also account for the fact that they drown out my husband’s occasional snoring.
- Limit caffeine after 2pm: Switching to decaf coffee or even better, beverages without caffeine lead to better sleep.
- Heating/Cooling mattress pad: The chiliPad is a hydro-powered mattress pad with a thermal regulating control unit. It allows me to set the mattress temperature to keep me cool all night. I set the temperature for 69° F and it will circulate water at that temperature to keep me cool.
Now what works for me, may not work for you. I’d love to hear your personal experience with foods and sleeping tricks that work for you.
Sleep Smoothie FAQs
I recommend drinking a smoothie 1 hour before bedtime, sipping instead of gulping. Use ingredients that are low in sugar, contain magnesium and melatonin and are not caffeinated. My bedtime smoothie is a great place to start when trying to get better sleep.
My bedtime smoothie blends rolled oats, spinach, chamomile tea, tart cherry juice, banana and almond butter for a light beverage that will put you to sleep quickly and deeply. I chose ingredients with magnesium and melatonin so they could work together to relax your body and promote sleepiness.
Yes! Bananas contain magnesium which can help calm restless muscles so your body can focus on sleep. Blend with other calming ingredients (nothing with too much sugar or any caffeine) to set your sleep up for success.
More Beverages to Help You Sleep
Because sleep is so important and because I love using real, whole food to help my body first, I’ve created a few beverages with ingredients that promote healthy sleep.
Whether you’ve found this bedtime smoothie for weight loss or because you have a hard time experiencing deep sleep, let’s find the right bedtime beverage for you:
- Lavender sleep tea: A light soothing tea that calms my body quickly.
- Spiced almond milk: Part of my night routine to regulate blood sugar and help me feel full throughout the night.
- Pink moon milk: This drink is as gorgeous as it is soothing.
- Turmeric golden milk latte: Full of anti-inflammatory ingredients for your body to feel its best.
What helps you get a good night’s rest? After rating this recipe, leave a comment with your bedtime routine so we can help everyone sleep better.
Bedtime Smoothie
Ingredients
- ¼ cup rolled oats uncooked old-fashioned
- 1 cup spinach fresh
- ½ cup chamomile tea brewed and cooled
- ½ cup tart cherry juice
- 1 banana fresh or frozen
- 1 tbsp almond butter
Instructions
- Place uncooked oats in blender. Blend until finely ground.
- Add spinach, chamomile tea, cherry juice, bananas, and almond butter to the blender. Puree until smooth.
- Pour into a glass or mug and enjoy.
Notes
- If unsweetened tart red cherry juice can’t be found, substitute with extra chamomile tea or water. Or use 1 cup frozen or fresh tart red cherries plus a little water.
- For a really soothing nighttime drink, this smoothie can also be served warmed up.
- Swap rolled oats with oat flour if available.
- Swap almond butter with the nut or seed butter of your choice.
Made the Sleep Well Smoothie using 1 cup of Sleepy Time Tea to make up for not having the cherry juice. I allowed the tea to cool a bit. It was so warm and soothing and satisfying. I will definitely be making this again.
I loved the taste! I woke up as many times during the night, but my sleep was deeper. I didn’t use the spinach as I had already had my greens earlier.
I usually drink tea or golden milk before bed but I definitely want to give this a try.
Def give it a try and let us know what you thought!
Made the smoothie tonight because I couldn’t wait to try my new blender that was ready for pickup until 9pm lol!. Soooo glad I tried it. I skipped dinner because I was super busy, at least now I won’t go to bed hungry and will get a restful night’s sleep! The smoothie was perfect and delicious! Thank you!!
You’re very welcome, Lisa!
Really encouraged by the comments…Looking forward to trying this and sleeping better soon!
Let us know if you found that it helps you! (fingers crossed!)
Such a soothing green smoothie recipe!
It really is, Kim!
I’ve always loved adding the Spiced Almond Milk to my bedtime routine. With lavender growing in the garden, I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Ooo, using home-grown lavender sounds lovely!
Not to sound dumb, but with the lavender do you just pick some off of the plant?
I have a green thumb, but every time I plant some it dies.
Any tips or ideas?
This was the ticket! Helped me calm down and sleep well; thanks for the great recipe.
You’re welcome, Erin! So glad it helped!
This sounds amazing. I seem to be sensitive to chamomile. The plant makes me sneeze and have itchy eyes and the tea seems to upset my stomach. Is there a good swap? Dandelion root tea maybe? Don’t know if it has the same sleep benefits, but green tea would miss the whole purpose, I have been following you for years and I recommend your site to my customers who are looking to eat better. I tell them how much my granddaughter loves her smoothies. Especially the beet/cherry pom smoothie before bed.
Thank you for recommending us to your customers, Carol! <3
I think dandelion tea might work or but what may work better is a bedtime/soothing chamomile-free tea. You could also leave the tea out and use almond milk.
I came across this excellent article whilst looking to see if it was advisable to drink a vegetable-based smoothie before going to bed. – clearly it is! As I don’t eat anywhere near enough vegetables I decided to invest in a blender. I have usually made a smoothie to drink in the morning before I go to the gym (can’t go now because of the blooming virus). Because the days seem long now being stuck in all day, I keep going to bed for an hour or so during the day but consequently have trouble sleeping at night. Just for a change I decided to have my veg and fruit smoothies just before I retired for the night. Bingo! I slept like a log! My smoothie by the way was very simple as I’m still getting used to using it. It was just cucumber, celery, a few chunks of melon, a pineapple ring (tinned) and topped up with almond milk. Thanks for the article – very interesting.
That’s great to hear! We love smoothies for all kinds of reasons and improving sleep is def one of them. Happy blending! 😀
I really appreciate your article. I have crohn’s so I cant eat bananas or oats, and careful with chamomile. How can I know what to interchange so I can juice the right things for me?
Thanks
Susie
Hi Susan, I recommend you speak with your health care practitioner and/or nutritionist regarding your diet and substitutions you can make that will work best for you. They know you + your body best. If you can’t eat oats, bananas, or chamomile, I’m not sure this smoothie is right for you. But not to worry! We have tons of delicious smoothie recipes that contain a variety of nutrient-packed ingredients. 🙂
A vegies smoothie ,stretching,,soft music , hot all over sponge off,planks,
That sounds like a relaxing bedtime routine!
Haven’t tried it yet, it seems like a lot to consume if I’ve eaten supper. Also seems like a lot of liquid to take in before bed, especially as I struggle with waking up too many times at night to get a good rest. But I would like an alkalyzing evening or bedtime drink. A dilemma for sure.
Pat, the recipe makes 2 servings. We do recommend drinking this an hour before bed but if that’s still too close to bedtime for you, drink it earlier. If this smoothie doesn’t seem like it would be a good fit for you, def take a look at the other things we listed to help you sleep well naturally. Maybe you can find some items on our list that would work for you.