Diet can play a big part in helping you drop off with ease and wake up feeling refreshed. Some foods can be great for sleep and there are others that you should try to avoid if you’re looking to get a good night’s kip…

Bedtime Snacks: a Great Alternative to Sleeping Pills

Complex carbohydrates help to boost serotonin (your body’s “feel-good” chemical) which in turn helps to promote sleep. Found in foods like wholemeal bread and wholemeal pasta.

Wholegrain foods such as brown rice, whole grains and oats not only contain complex carbohydrates but have a soothing affect on the mind and nervous system too.

Warm milky drinks, one of the oldest and best remedies for sleeplessness, work because milk is converted into serotonin in the body which helps bring on sleep. Try a mug of Horlicks about an hour before bed.

Lettuce is another old favourite for helping sleep, along with nuts and poultry which have also been found to aid good sleep.

So you could try a pasta or rice dish for dinner if you are after a good night or, if you want something a little lighter, a peanut butter or turkey sandwich on whole wheat and lettuce should do the trick just as well. And do not forget to end a hot milky drink such as Horlicks, before going to bed!

Nightmarish nibbles

Caffeine, found in tea, coffee, some fizzy drinks and even some hot chocolate drinks. It’s a stimulant and will stay in your body for around four hours, so avoid it in the four hours before you go to bed.

Chocolate. It also contains caffeine so simply avoid it in the evening (that’s not to say you can’t indulge earlier in the day of course) and choose a non-caffeinated sweet hot drink like Horlicks instead.

Alcohol. Although it might make you feel sleepy at first, it will often cause disrupted sleep as it messes up your serotonin levels (that feel-good hormone again that helps you sleep).

Rich and spicy foods, such as curries for example, which can causes digestive problems and keep you up at night.

Chinese takeaways. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is an ingredient often used in Chinese dishes which can act as a stimulant and disrupt sleep.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to give up these foods and drink altogether, you could simply try limiting them to occasional treats or for earlier in the day.

Going to bed feeling too full or empty stomach can also hamper sleep so I could try to have a filling meal in the evening and after a snack or a nutritious hot drink later if you feel hungry.