How to Beat Insomnia: 3 Food Tips to Help You Sleep Better (Page 6)

Tip 3. Eat a Bedtime Snack

Dietitian and host of Food Network's Healthy Appetite Ellie Krieger says that if she feels hungry at bedtime, she’ll have a carbohydrate-rich snack, such as an apple or clementine or a few crackers. Said Krieger, “I think that by triggering serotonin, it relaxes me a little.” On the other hand, eating too large a meal close to bedtime may also impair sleep, say both Krieger and Katz.

Why it works: A light bedtime snack can help make you sleepy, primarily because hunger is a known sleep robber. As Krieger suggests, carbohydrates make a good bedtime snack, because they may promote serotonin production, which can make you drowsy.

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Next: A Carb-Rich Snack Recipe to Try »