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.

2 mugs of green bedtime smoothie surrounded by lavender, spinach and almonds.

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.

Table of Contents
  1. Ingredients in My Bedtime Smoothie
  2. How to Make A Bedtime Smoothie
  3. Healthy Habits to Sleep Well
  4. Sleep Smoothie FAQs
  5. More Beverages to Help You Sleep
  6. Bedtime Smoothie Recipe

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:

ingredients that promote good sleep including tart cherry juice, spinach, banana, chamomile tea, almond butter and rolled oats.

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:

a green smoothie in a white mug to show you how to sleep well.
  1. 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.
  2. 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

Is a smoothie good before bed?

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.

Which smoothie is best before bed?

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.

Is it okay to have a banana smoothie before bed?

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.

white mug with gold speckles filled with a green bedtime smoothie.

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:

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.

4.91 from 22 votes

Bedtime Smoothie

Not sure how to sleep well naturally? I've got you covered with this healthy, calming green bedtime smoothie that is loaded with nutrients to help keep your tummy from rumbling in the night.
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Author: Jen Hansard
Course: Smoothie
Cuisine: Plant-Based
Serves: 1

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 332kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 31mg, Potassium: 980mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 2933IU, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 111mg, Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe? Show me!Mention @SimpleGreenSmoothies or tag #SimpleGreenSmoothies!

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Rating




Comments

  1. Any recommendations on a good brand of unsweetened tart cherry juice? Preferably organic as well. I cant seem to find a good one!

    1. Hey Chelsea, I’m not sure! We love using Thrive Market for natural and organic food products. Def check them out, they might have what you’re looking for!

    1. That’s ok, Linda! Just drink it earlier in the evening! 😉

  2. 4 stars
    Mine came out much more purple than green. It looks nothing like yours. Is it a full cup of tart cherry juice?

    1. Hey Justine,

      It is totally fine if your smoothie was not as green as the photo. Jen likes to pack in her greens when she makes her smoothies. The more greens you add the more “green-ish” it will look. If you are wanting it to look more green then pack your spinach in your measuring cup a little more.

      Hope that help!

  3. 4 stars
    I will definitely try this before bed! I’m a horrible sleeper I’ll be good if I get 4hrs of sleep in. I’m a caffeine addict so that doesn’t help either. I did try the Spiced almond milk, but in the morning to replace my coffee. It was delicious but of course my body needed its caffeine. But this drink sound amazing before bedtime. Thank you for the recipe!

    1. Hi Sarai,

      Wishing you better sleep! Makes sure + reach back out – I’d love to hear how this green smoothie helps your sleep habits!

    2. The spiced almond milk is perfect in the morning as a replacement for coffee if you tweek it. Sometimes I add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of instant coffee. That way, it’s still less caffeine than the average cup which calls for 1 full tsp, and much less caffeine than a large mug of regular brewed coffee. Other times, especially to help my thyroid, I add a small dose of Korean red ginseng. This actually is a better boost than caffeine and I don’t really taste it in the drink. However, I either omit the cayenne or just use a quarter of what is called for. But with the Korean ginseng, I’m getting a major energy boost that actually helps the thyroid whereas caffeine can hinder the thyroid. I used the instant coffee if I’m out of ginseng or just miss that coffee flavour but want to control the am out of coffee/caffeine. Try it out – u might have a new morning energy drink that’s healthier!

    3. That sounds like a great idea! Thank you for sharing that with us 🙂

  4. Great “How to sleep well naturally” tips! I need to start taking a lot of these into consideration. Also, this nighttime smoothie looks really good. All of the ingredients that go into it sound really delicious. I’m going to have to try this out. Thank you!

    1. Hi Debra,

      We personally don’t count calories, so we don’t include them in our recipes at this time. You’ll find that when you consume more nourishing whole fruits and veggies, you will not only feel full longer, but you’ll also have lessened cravings for high-calorie, nutritionally empty foods. So in the end it balances out. But we know many people would like to have calorie info. Three great resources for tracking calories are Self Nutrition Data, and the phone apps: My Fitness Pal and Lose It.

  5. 5 stars
    Thanks for the recipe! I noticed the bananas made it a little too sweet for my taste. Is there another fruit or veggie I can substitute with the same properties?

    1. Hi Harris,

      Looking to swap out those bananas! I’ve got you covered! Some of my favorite swaps are mango, papaya, pears, unsweetened applesauce, nut butters, chia seeds, fresh dates + avocado. If you want the creaminess, but less sweetness – then avocado would definitely be my go-to!

  6. Wow, this smoothie is just what I need. Do you have a recommendation on what you can swap out for the rolled oats? I’m a paleo.

  7. I just made this tonight. It’s so delicious. This whole post inspired me to go to bed earlier which I need to do. Now having a yummy bedtime smoothie will hopefully help motivate me! Oh and I swapped the plain tart cherry juice for Trader Joe’s Power juice which I had on hand. The second ingredient after pomegranate is cherry so hopefully it’s a decent serving. It definitely worked flavor wise.

    1. Hi Sue,

      YAY! Cheers to blendin’ green smoothies + getting better sleep! And kale yea, Trader Joe’s Power Juice sounds like a great quick swap!

  8. What would you suggest instead of chamomile tea. Its a member of the ragweed family and as such I can’t drink it.

    1. Hi Julie,

      Can’t do chamomile tea? Some other herbal teas that are great for sleep are valerian, lavender, lemon balm, and peppermint. Find one you love + give it a try in our Bedtime Green Smoothie!

  9. Can you swop out the banana? It’s the one fruit I really dislike. I’ve been reading up on the benefits of cherry juice for sleep so would love to try the smoothie. Thanks

    1. Of course. Banana can be tough on come people. I would swap with peaches, apricots or even dates to give it some sweetness.

    2. I’d also consider putting some avocado. It will keep the creaminess that makes it really nice.

  10. That smoothie sounds perfectly yummy! Too bad I didn’t know about this last week, when I had a bottle of cherry juice that my husband accidentally bought insteadof the cranberry I asked for. At least I know where to get the cherry juice! 🙂

    1. Dang… I was a week off posting this! Well you at least know where to get the cherry juice now to make this one. Love how you think of the positive. 🙂

  11. Does this smoothie keep well over night? I’m single and would love to have a ready to go night time drink in the fridge on busy late nights.

    1. 5 stars
      It would work! I think that’s a great idea. I honestly might store it in the fridge and the warm it up before I hit the hay.

  12. Hiya I wanna try your sleepy smoothie but am allergic to nuts. Is there a substitute for almond butter I could use? Thanks. Amy