7 Smart Snack Choices for Better Sleep

A bedtime snack may be just what you need to get a peaceful night of sleep! Find out how to choose a better bedtime snack to help you sleep well. 

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To snack or not to snack (before bed)? That’s a question I hear often from clients! 

The most important part of deciding whether or not you need a snack before going to bed is determining whether or not you’re feeling hungry. We don’t want to ignore those hunger cues just because someone said eating after 7 is ‘bad’ for you. Not the case at all.

In fact, it may be beneficial to you especially if you eat dinner 4-5 hours before going to bed, or if your dinner meal was lacking in protein and fiber, or if you frequently wake up in the middle of the night feeling hungry. If you’re not hungry, then skip the snack!

7 Smart Snack Choices for Better Sleep

Each of these snacks combine a complex carbohydrate with a source of protein to create a balanced, satisfying snack. It’s really best practice to always pair carbohydrate foods like bread, crackers, fruit, or cereal, with protein sources, such as nuts, seeds, yogurt, cheese, meat or hummus, at meals and snacks so that we can feel fuller longer.

The benefit of choosing complex carbohydrates, which include whole grain foods and fruit, is that they have more fiber than simple carbohydrates. This will help keep blood sugar levels more stabilized at night, preventing sudden dips in glucose levels that might cause you to jolt awake with a rush of adrenaline!

Here are 7 Smart Snack Choices for Better Sleep:

• 1/2 cup Cottage cheese with 1/2 cup fresh or frozen fruit (try this Blueberry Cottage Cheese Parfait!)
• 8 ounces Tart cherry juice (naturally contains melatonin!) with handful of almonds, pistachios, and walnuts
• Chamomile tea (this is one I enjoy!) with 4 whole-wheat crackers and 1 slice sharp Cheddar cheese
• 6 ounces vanilla Greek yogurt with almonds or pumpkin seeds
• 6 ounces 2% milk and a small banana
• 1 small apple with 2 tablespoons nut butter
• 3 cups homemade popcorn sprinkled with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

To learn why I chose these particular foods, check out my book, Eat To Sleep: What To Eat & When To Eat It for a Good Night’s Sleep. The book includes in-depth information about how certain foods provide sleep-beneficial nutrients so you can get more restful, restorative sleep at night! 

Bedtime Snacks to Avoid

While I’m all for a good, balanced snack before heading to bed, there are some foods to avoid and general tips to be aware of to make snacking work FOR you, not AGAINST you.

Keep portion sizes of snacks in mind. We don’t want to go to bed on a really full stomach. The purpose of a snack is to satisfy hunger and to keep our blood sugar levels steady through the night. In the list of 7 Smart Snack Choices for Better Sleep above, I’ve included portion sizes so that you have a good idea of what this should look like!

It’s best to avoid greasy, high-fat foods like pizza, chips, fried foods, etc., before bed. These can cause indigestion and may cause sleep disturbances rather than helping you to sleep better.

If you have acid reflux, avoid any foods that trigger you to have reflux. Common trigger foods can be tomato sauces, citrus fruits and juices, spicy foods.

If you’re caffeine-sensitive, avoid any caffeinated beverages like certain teas and sodas, and you may even need to stay away from dark chocolate due to the caffeine naturally found in cocoa.

Lastly, avoid lots of added sugar late at night to prevent blood sugar levels from spiking and then crashing later on. This sudden drop in blood sugar can lead to a rush of adrenaline and cortisol that will wake you up suddenly. Diets that are high in sugar and carbohydrates, and lacking in fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins, are generally linked to poor quality sleep.