Diet and Food Guidance for Insomnia

Food and drink can help or disturb sleep. Evidence for individual foods is limited, but meal timing and caffeine matter.

Timing of meals

• Eat dinner 2 to 3 hours before bed.
• Avoid very heavy, oily or spicy meals late at night, which can cause reflux and disturb sleep.
• If hungry at bedtime, a light snack such as a banana, a small bowl of oats or warm milk may help.

Drinks

• Caffeine: avoid tea, coffee, cola and energy drinks from the early afternoon. Its effect can last 6 to 8 hours.
• Alcohol: it may make you drowsy, but it fragments sleep and worsens snoring and apnoea.
• Fluids: reduce large drinks in the late evening if you wake to urinate.
• Warm milk or herbal tea without caffeine, such as chamomile, is a comforting habit for some people, though the evidence is limited.

General diet

• A balanced diet with vegetables, fruit, whole grains and protein supports sleep.
• Very low-carb, very high-sugar or irregular eating can disturb sleep for some.
• Ensure enough iron, magnesium and vitamin D, from food or as advised by your doctor.

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