'I'm an NHS GP - these foods will help you sleep better at night'
Sleep plays a vital role in overall health and wellbeing, supporting brain function and maintaining both mental and physical health. Yet, for many, a good night's rest remains out of reach, with one in three Brits reportedly struggling with insomnia.
What we eat and drink can have a significant impact on sleep quality, Express reports. Dr Hana Patel, an NHS GP and resident sleep expert at Time4Sleep, sheds light on the dietary factors that can either aid or hinder sleep, while also debunking common myths.
"Dairy products, like yoghurt, milk, and cheese, contain an amino acid called tryptophan that helps us get to sleep more easily," Dr Patel explains. "The calcium in these foods also helps with reducing stress and producing melatonin, a hormone that helps you fall asleep."
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Cherries, too, can be a natural sleep aid. "Cherries can help your sleep as they contain high amounts of melatonin," she says. "Tart cherries are more effective than sweeter ones as they have a small amount of both melatonin and tryptophan. Not only can they help you to fall asleep, but they also encourage you to sleep for longer."
For those looking to incorporate cherries into their nighttime routine, Dr Patel suggests trying frozen or dried cherries, or even cherry juice.
Almonds are another powerful sleep-promoting food. "Almonds are rich in magnesium, which promotes both relaxation and sleep," she explains. "Magnesium also helps to regulate melatonin, which guides the sleep-wake cycle in our bodies. On a physical level, it helps our muscles relax and regulates muscle contractions."
Additionally, almonds help stabilise blood sugar levels, thanks to their nutrient composition that slows digestion, making them an ideal late-night snack.
While some foods can promote restful sleep, others may do just the opposite. Dr Hana Patel warns against certain dietary choices before bedtime, including chocolate, sugary foods, and spicy meals.
"Although it's delicious, chocolate does contain caffeine, which interferes with your body's ability to get enough deep sleep," Dr Patel explains. "This is especially true for dark chocolate as it contains more caffeine than milk chocolate. I recommend avoiding caffeine for at least two hours before going to bed."
Sugary treats should also be avoided before sleep, as they can lead to fluctuating blood sugar levels. "Eating high-sugar foods before going to bed can cause your blood sugar levels to spike before eventually crashing," Dr Patel says. "This fluctuation can disrupt your sleep and make you feel more restless."
Spicy meals, meanwhile, are best consumed earlier in the day. "I recommend trying to avoid eating spicy foods before bed as it can disrupt your sleep," she advises. "It can cause digestive discomfort, like heartburn and indigestion, as well as a raised body temperature from the capsaicin found in chillies, which makes it much harder to get a comfortable sleep. Your body has to work harder to digest spicy food, which means it is less able to focus on relaxing for sleep."
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Why we love itThe Simba pillow absolutely delivered on its temperature-regulating promise – it stayed cool to the touch, even after a full night's sleep during a surprise spring heatwave. Given that pregnant women can be prone to hot flushes, night sweats and overall higher body temperatures, anything that can help combat overheating is a boon for night-time comfort. While fairly bulky and lacking any adjustable features, the pillow was comfortable, and the fairly firm, down-like filling offered good support, especially for the hips. It's a shame that … the cover fabric, while cooling, isn't the softest to snuggle up against, and the pillow lacks flexibility in shape and firmness. Suitable for: pregnancy and nursingShape: C-shaped Size: 120 x 35cmFilling material: combed recycled PET bottle fibresCover material: cotton with Stratos *** Related: The best gifts for new mums, picked by new mums: 25 genuinely useful ideas *** £99 at John Lewis Best for: nursing Possibly the most stylish pillow in our test, the BellaMoon comes in various organic cotton cover designs featuring trendy muted prints. It's a C-shaped pillow: you position the long section along either your front or back, then place one curved end under your head and the other between your legs. Its secret power is two hidden zips that allow the curved ends to detach and then zip together, forming a smaller, half-doughnut shape to support breastfeeding or use as support for your baby. It didn't make the final cut because … while the BellaMoon pillow is described as medium firmness, I found it too firm, particularly under my head. This also made it unwieldy to reposition during the night and created a bulky barrier in the bed. Suitable for: pregnancy and nursing; shape: C-shaped; size: 140 x 50 x 20cm; filling material: 100% polyester; cover material: 100% organic cotton *** £39.99 at Babybub Best for: small spaces The Babybub is a wedge-shaped pillow that's really more like two wedges: one to support your back and one to support your bump. It also comes with a small cylindrical pillow that can be added to the front or back as needed. Its winged design makes the Babybub much smaller than a traditional pregnancy pillow – you might even call it compact. It took a bit of fiddling with the adjustable Velcro strap to get the wedges the perfect distance apart, but this means you can reposition them as your bump grows. It didn't make the final cut because … the bamboo and polyester blend cover is slightly scratchy to the touch, and the off-white colour gets grubby easily and looks a little 'orthopaedic aid'. I was also quite nonplussed by the additional mini-pillow, which I found inevitably ended up somewhere tangled in the duvet. Suitable for: pregnancy; shape: wedge; size: 36 x 46 x 10cm; filling material: polyester and microfibre balls; cover material: bamboo and polyester blend *** £135 at Scandiborn Best for: colour options Currently dominating my Instagram feed, the Cushy Puff is another microbead-filled sausage in the style of the Bbhugme. As such, it effectively adapts to support your body where you need it. The cotton-jersey pillowcase comes in bold colours and statement stripes and simply ties off at either end – letting you adjust it for firmness by tightening or loosening the knots. It didn't make the final cut because … the tying mechanism was a bit of a faff. My pillow also gave off a slight chemical odour when first unboxed – off-putting to someone with a heightened sense of smell during pregnancy. Suitable for: pregnancy and nursing; shape: I-shaped; size: 120-150 x 25cm; filling material: EPS (expanded polystyrene) microbeads; cover material: 95% cotton, 5% spandex jersey *** £33.40 at Amazon Best for: travel A novel wearable concept, the Babymoov Dream Belt fastens around your waist with an adjustable Velcro strap so it moves with you. The stretchy jersey front panel goes over your bump, while memory foam pads sit on the hips to provide bump support when sleeping on your side. I found the belt comfortable to wear, and it stayed in place well, offering support through plenty of tossing and turning. The most compact pillow tested, this would be a good option for travel – and it comes at a reasonable price. It didn't make the final cut because … the Dream Belt offers support only around your bump, so its usefulness is limited. You could pair with another pillow (or regular cushions) to add leg and back supports. Suitable for: pregnancy; shape: belt;size: available in two body sizes, XS/S and M/XL; filling material: polyurethane memory foam; cover material: 95% cotton, 5% elastane *** *** As you can tell from the variety above, pregnancy pillows come in different shapes. Which you choose is down to personal preference and the kind of support you're looking for. Common shapes include C, U, V and wedge pillows. C-shaped pillows support your front (or back), head and legs; U-shaped pillows envelop the body and so offer support on all sides; V-shaped pillows can be used in various ways, including one leg of the V supporting your bump and the other going through your legs (like a C-shaped pillow without the head support). When choosing a shape, also consider how much bed space it requires: U-shaped pillows are typically the largest. Wedge-shaped pillows are usually smaller, wedging under bump or back, but this also limits how much of your body they support. Some pillows, such as the I-shaped pillows with microbead fillings, offer much more flexibility for you to bend them into different shapes. *** This will depend on the shape of the pillow you choose, your support needs and your sleeping position. The NHS recommends sleeping on your side after 28 weeks of pregnancy, and many pillows are designed with this in mind. Longer pillows that go along the front of your body (I, C or U shapes) are usually intended to be cuddled: place one arm and one leg under the pillow, and one on top. At the end of the day, the point of the pillow is comfort, so anything that brings relief and helps you sleep is a plus. Of course, if you're having any issues with pain or pregnancy symptoms, or are unsure if a pillow is a good idea for you, you should seek medical advice. When choosing a pregnancy pillow, you'll want to consider the type of filling (eg microbeads, hollow fibre, memory foam) and the fabric of the cover. Most pillows have removable, washable covers. You may want to choose a pillow that can double as a nursing aid to get extra value out of the product after your baby arrives; some pillows offer specific mechanisms to reshape them for this purpose. *** Victoria Turk is a technology journalist whose work has brought her into contact with the latest gadgets and gizmos for the past decade. She is expecting her first baby this summer
