If you’ve never been able to close the kitchen right after dinner, you understand the importance of a good bedtime snack. The best picks satisfy a craving while also, hopefully, offering some perks that will support a good night’s sleep. One type of food that checks both of these boxes is fruit. But is there a best fruit to eat before bed?
Meet the experts: Sapna Peruvemba, M.S., R.D.N., a plant-based dietitian and Ph.D. student at Loma Linda University; Kendra Haire, R.D.N., L.D., a registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of Radiant Nutrition & Wellness in Leander, TX.
“A small serving of fruit can absolutely make a good bedtime snack, particularly if you’re looking for something light and nutrient-dense,” says Sapna Peruvemba, M.S., R.D.N., a plant-based dietitian and Ph.D. student at Loma Linda University. “Fruit provides carbohydrates along with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.” Some even naturally contain melatonin, the hormone produced at night to prime your body for sleep.
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The best fruit source of melatonin is tart cherries, which is why they are Peruvemba’s pick for the best fruit to eat before bed. “They’re one of the more extensively studied fruits when it comes to sleep,” she explains. “A recent systematic review found that some studies reported improvements in sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and sleep onset, as well as increases in melatonin levels after tart cherry consumption.”
Fresh tart cherries are not the tastiest, but you can still get the perks from frozen or dried tart cherries or from tart cherry juice (which may also reduce inflammation, strengthen the immune system, and lower blood pressure). And if you’re simply not a fan? There are other fruits that contain naturally occurring melatonin, says Kendra Haire, R.D.N., L.D., a registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of Radiant Nutrition & Wellness in Leander, TX. According to data in Nutrients, these include pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, apples, and grapes.
To make your bedtime snack even more satisfying and sleep-supporting, both Haire and Peruvemba recommend pairing fruit with a protein-rich food. “For example, try combining fruit like kiwi with pistachios, which are also rich in melatonin and are a source of fiber, protein, and heart-healthy fats,” Haire suggests. And even though it may support sleep (though shouldn’t be considered a sleep aid), Haire also recommends enjoying your snack at least two hours before you hit the hay, “to allow for digestion and to avoid sleep interruption.” If you choose wisely among the suggestions made here, it will be more than enough to keep you satisfied until morning.
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