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. Also, while you're sleeping, your body is in hardcore repair mode. Muscles get a chance to be replenished, and damaged cells and blood vessels are repaired.
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. Of course eating a healthy, varied diet full of fresh fruits and veggies also helps. But getting a good night's sleep, magnifies every other effort towards living the best life possible.
All of that sounds great, right? Yes, but if you're struggling to get good quality sleep at night, you may be wondering—how can I get in on all those awesome sleep benefits?
5 Foods that help you sleep
Discover the top foods that help you sleep well and some simple changes to your night-time routine that can turn you into Sleeping Beauty.
Eating a light snack that combines protein and carbs is a great way to promote a restful night. These 6 foods have scientific research supporting their benefits for a good night of sleep.
Banana
Banana has a modest source of magnesium, which may help you get a good night’s sleep by relaxing your muscles.
Oats
Oatmeal is high in carbs and fiber, which is good for the belly in small amounts. Oats have been reported to induce drowsiness when consumed before bed, most likely due to the small levels of melatonin.
Chamomile tea
Chamomile tea contains the antioxidant, apigenin, which binds to certain receptors in your brain that may promote sleepiness. This explains why most sleep teas use chamomile.
Tart Cherry Juice
These cherries have above-average concentrations of melatonin, which is a hormone that helps promote healthy sleep. They're also lower in sugar than other cherries, which will keep your energy levels low so you can rest and recharge.
Almonds
Almonds are an excellent source of magnesium and the hormone melatonin. Melatonin regulates your internal clock and signals your body to prepare for sleep.
Trace Minerals
Ion drops, trace minerals supplement, or a bath with epsom salts can helps with muscle relaxation, which promotes better sleep.
You can happily sip on our warmed Spiced Almond Milk, Lavender Tea Latte, Pink Moon Milk or a super healthy warm green smoothie. I've created a smoothie recipe specifically to help with falling asleep. Yes, it's legit! Give it a blend about an hour before you're ready to go to bed and drink it at a slow and steady pace (no chugging).
Our Spiced Almond Milk is such a sleep-helper, it's one of the favorite recipes included in our Seasonal Cleanse-Day Cleanse! Cleansing your body of unwanted toxins and developing new habits are incredibly helpful for getting a good night's sleep. In fact, one of the benefits our cleanse community reports most often is sleeping better. You can read more about our Seasonal Cleanse-Day Cleanses here :: Seasonal Cleanse-Day Cleanse.
Sleep Well Smoothie
Rate this Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
- ¼ cup rolled oats (uncooked old-fashioned )
- 1 cup spinach
- ½ cup brewed chamomile tea (cooled)
- ½ cup Montmorency tart cherry juice (or more tea)
- 1 banana (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 serving Protein Smoothie Boost (optional)
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.
Nutrition (estimated)
Healthy Habits to Sleep Well
Get a Buckwheat Sleep Pillow
Your pillow is there to support your neck and upper back, which is important to help maintain proper alignment of your spine while sleeping.
Finding a pillow I loved took some trial and error—but now I'm obsessed with my Beans 72 Organic Buckwheat Pillow . It helps support my neck and molds to my head, but doesn't collapse like foam pillows. It also doesn't hold heat. You can even sprinkle your pillow with lavender essential oil to help relax quickly.
Bedtime Tea
I can't take credit for this Yogi Bedtime tea—Tim Ferris actually got me hooked on it. My husband and I drink it every single night in bed together (and have it on an Amazon subscription so we don’t run out). The mix of herbs in this particular blend is specifically designed to promote sleep. Chamomile, skullcap, and poppy all soothe the nervous system and may help reduce anxiety. As an added benefit, the mixture of vanilla and caramel tastes amazing!
Sleep with Ear Plugs
I got into using earplugs to sleep back when I was in college and my husband and I lived in a super noisy apartment. Even though we no longer have to deal with noisy neighbors and are happily settled on a quiet cul-de-sac in the suburbs, I still use earplugs to guarantee a good night of sleep. My husband occasionally snores (even though he denies it) and the train whistles toots, so the earplugs drown that out.
Limit caffeine after 2pm to sleep well
If you're a coffee lover like me, you've probably found yourself in the situation when your heart is racing at bedtime thanks to that 4 PM latte. Caffeine stimulates the nervous system which can disrupt sleep patterns when consumed too late in the day. I've even read articles from sleep experts that recommend cutting out caffeine completely from your diet. These days, I'm definitely more conscious of how much caffeine I'm consuming, and if I do have a cup of coffee, I make sure it's before 2 PM.
P.S. If you're looking for an awesome afternoon coffee alternative, I'm a huge fan of Dandy Blend tea. It is the closest thing I've found to coffee and is gluten-free + caffeine free!
Best time to sleep: 10pm-2am
Did you know the most regenerative sleep occurs between 10 PM - 2 AM? Yep. This is prime sleep time. I know for me, if I'm not in bed by 10 PM one of two things happen—either I'll wake up not feeling as rested because I didn't get a big chunk of "deep sleep time", or else I'll get a second wind and it's difficult for me to fall asleep at all. I try to make sure I am in bed by 9pm, which means my teeth are brushed and my face is washed. That gives me an hour to sip on my tea and watch a show with the hubby and shut my eyes around 10pm.
Invest in a 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. Ryan and I both use this (we each have our own temperature control) and have enjoyed staying cool all night long.
At first I thought it was a little indulgent, yet now we see the value in it. We sleep well (which is worth it right there), but we also don’t need to crank the air down so much at night.
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.
Lisa Williamson
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.
Janice
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.
Jessica
I usually drink tea or golden milk before bed but I definitely want to give this a try.
Simple Green Smoothies
Def give it a try and let us know what you thought!
Lisa68S
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!!
Simple Green Smoothies
You're very welcome, Lisa!
Kat
Really encouraged by the comments...Looking forward to trying this and sleeping better soon!
Simple Green Smoothies
Let us know if you found that it helps you! (fingers crossed!)
Kim
Such a soothing green smoothie recipe!
Simple Green Smoothies
It really is, Kim!
Amanda
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.
Simple Green Smoothies
Ooo, using home-grown lavender sounds lovely!
Erin
This was the ticket! Helped me calm down and sleep well; thanks for the great recipe.
Simple Green Smoothies
You're welcome, Erin! So glad it helped!
Carol Wilcox
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.
Simple Green Smoothies
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.
Dr Bob Nicholls
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.
Simple Green Smoothies
That's great to hear! We love smoothies for all kinds of reasons and improving sleep is def one of them. Happy blending! 😀
Susan Amonds
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
Simple Green Smoothies
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. 🙂
DAVIDE//DAVIDE!
A vegies smoothie ,stretching,,soft music , hot all over sponge off,planks,
Simple Green Smoothies
That sounds like a relaxing bedtime routine!
Pat
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.
Simple Green Smoothies
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.