Want better sleep fast? Study reveals foods that help your body rest

Most people have tried countless tricks to fall asleep. Some turn to white noise, others count sheep or buy weighted blankets. Yet, sleep is still hard to come by.

Restless nights don’t just make mornings harder – they slowly affect health, memory, mood, and even relationships.

Now scientists offer something refreshingly simple. Your next good night’s sleep might depend on what you eat during the day.

A study from the University of Chicago Medicine and Columbia University has revealed that eating more fruits and vegetables can actually lead to better sleep that very night.

“Dietary modifications could be a new, natural and cost-effective approach to achieve better sleep,” said Dr. Esra Tasali, director of the UChicago Sleep Center.

“The temporal associations and objectively-measured outcomes in this study represent crucial steps toward filling a gap in important public health knowledge.”

Food and sleep connection

For years, research has shown that not getting enough sleep pushes people toward junk food. Fatty and sugary snacks become more tempting after sleepless nights.

But scientists hadn’t studied the reverse question in detail – how does food shape sleep?

This new research fills that missing piece. The results show that diet doesn’t just affect energy or weight – it can immediately influence how deeply a person sleeps.

People who ate more fruits, vegetables, and complex carbs like whole grains had calmer nights and fewer sleep interruptions, proving that daily food choices directly shape overall sleep quality.

Fresh food for better sleep

Healthy young adults took part in this study. They logged their daily meals in an app and wore wrist sensors to monitor their sleep.

The sensors measured “sleep fragmentation,” a way to track how often someone wakes up or shifts between light and deep sleep.

Those who met the CDC’s recommendation of five cups of fruits and vegetables daily enjoyed 16 percent better sleep quality than those who ate none.

“16 percent is a highly significant difference,” said Tasali. “It’s remarkable that such a meaningful change could be observed within less than 24 hours.”

That number means something simple: you don’t need extreme diets or long routines. Just more fresh food during the day could make a noticeable difference by night.

Immediate solution to boost sleep

Better sleep doesn’t have to come from a bottle or a gadget. This study shows that healthy eating patterns can naturally quiet the body and improve rest.

Vitamins, minerals, and fibers in fruits and vegetables might reduce stress in the body, helping the mind slow down when bedtime arrives.

Poor sleep affects productivity, emotional stability, and long-term health. A balanced diet, then, might become one of the most accessible tools for people struggling to rest well.

The connection is both practical and immediate – what you eat now can decide how you sleep tonight.

Calm mind, relaxed body

Fruits and vegetables also supply antioxidants that protect cells from damage caused by stress and fatigue. Whole grains release energy slowly, helping maintain stable blood sugar levels through the night.

That stability keeps the brain calm and the body relaxed. Instead of chasing expensive sleep aids or supplements, a plate full of colorful produce could bring a calmer night’s rest.

This link between diet and sleep might inspire people to rethink dinner choices as part of their self-care routine.

Better rest is within your control

The researchers plan to test whether this relationship is causal and to explore how the body turns food into better rest. They also want to see if these results hold true for other groups, including older adults and people with sleep disorders.

“People are always asking me if there are things they can eat that will help them sleep better,” said Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, director of the Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research at Columbia.

“Small changes can impact sleep. That is empowering – better rest is within your control.”

A handful of fruit or a serving of greens may do more than fill a plate – it might finally bring the kind of sleep people have been chasing for years.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Diabetes Research & Training Center at the University of Chicago.

The study is published in Sleep Health: The Journal of the National Sleep Foundation.

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