Better Sleep After 60: What to Eat and Drink for a Better Night’s Sleep

Your Night’s Sleep May Begin at the Dinner Table

We often think of better sleep as something that starts when we turn off the lights and climb into bed. But some of the choices we make hours earlier—what we eat, what we drink, and even when we have them—may influence how well we sleep that night.

As we explored in Part I of Better Sleep After 60, sleep naturally changes as we get older. We may sleep more lightly, wake more often, or find that our internal clock has shifted. While food can’t erase those changes, our everyday eating and drinking habits can either support a restful night—or sometimes make one a little harder to come by.

The good news is that supporting better sleep doesn’t require a complicated “sleep diet.” It may be as simple as looking at when you have that afternoon cup of coffee, how late you eat dinner, whether you’re trying to catch up on your water at bedtime, or what you reach for when you’re hungry in the evening.

In Part II, we’ll look at the foods and nutrients that may play a role in healthy sleep, what the research tells us about popular “sleep foods,” and how caffeine, alcohol, hydration, meal timing, and bedtime snacks can affect your night.

Because when it comes to better sleep, Longevity Starts With Simple Steps—and some of those steps may begin long before bedtime.

QUIZ CAT

How Food and Sleep Are Connected

Sleep and nutrition have more in common than we might think. The foods we eat provide nutrients our bodies use in many everyday processes—including some involved in regulating when we feel awake, relaxed, and ready for sleep.

One example is tryptophan, an essential amino acid found in protein-containing foods such as poultry, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Our bodies use tryptophan to help produce serotonin, which in turn can be used to make melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate our sleep-wake cycle.

Other nutrients also play supporting roles. Magnesium is involved in hundreds of processes throughout the body, including normal nerve and muscle function. B vitamins participate in processes involved in energy metabolism and nervous-system function, while carbohydrates can influence how nutrients such as tryptophan are used by the body.

But here’s the important part: no single nutrient—or single food—acts like an on/off switch for sleep.

Eating a handful of almonds or a turkey sandwich before bed isn’t likely to suddenly make you fall asleep. Sleep is influenced by a much bigger picture that includes your internal body clock, activity, light exposure, stress, medications, health conditions, and the eating and drinking patterns you follow throughout the day.

That’s why it may be more useful to think about a sleep-supportive pattern of eating rather than searching for the perfect “sleep food.” Regular, balanced meals can provide the nutrients your body needs, while the timing and size of meals—and choices such as caffeine and alcohol—may also influence how comfortably and soundly you sleep.

And that brings us to a question you may already be asking:

Are there actually foods that may help support a better night’s sleep?

Let’s take a look at what we know.

Foods That May Support Better Sleep

If there isn’t one magical “sleep food,” are there foods that may help support healthy sleep?

Yes—but with some important perspective.

Researchers have studied a number of foods and nutrients for their possible relationship to sleep. Some contain nutrients involved in sleep-related processes, while a few individual foods have even been tested in small human studies. The evidence isn’t strong enough to promise that any particular food will improve your sleep, but there are plenty of nutritious choices that fit naturally into an overall sleep-supportive eating pattern.

🥜 Nuts and Seeds

Almonds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, peanuts, and other nuts and seeds provide nutrients such as magnesium, along with protein and healthy fats. Some also contain tryptophan.

Rather than thinking of them as sleep aids, think of nuts and seeds as nutrient-dense foods that can contribute to an eating pattern that supports overall health—and may make a sensible choice when you’re looking for something small and satisfying later in the day.

🥛 Dairy Foods

Milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, and other dairy foods contain tryptophan, along with protein and calcium. That old-fashioned glass of warm milk before bed may have more going for it than nostalgia—although the warmth, comfort, and familiar bedtime ritual may be just as important as what’s in the glass.

If dairy doesn’t agree with you, there’s certainly no need to start drinking milk just for sleep.

🥝 Kiwi

Kiwi has attracted attention because small studies have reported improvements in certain measures of sleep after regularly eating the fruit before bedtime.

That’s interesting, but the research is still limited. Kiwi isn’t a treatment for insomnia. What it is is a nutrient-rich fruit that can easily fit into a healthy diet—and if you enjoy it, it may be worth including as part of your evening routine.

🍒 Tart Cherries

Tart cherries and tart cherry juice have also attracted research interest. Some studies have reported improvements in sleep duration, efficiency, or other sleep measures, but the evidence remains limited and results have varied between studies.

There’s another practical consideration with tart cherry juice: portion size matters. Drinking large amounts can add extra sugar and calories fairly quickly, so more isn’t necessarily better.

🥚 Protein-Rich Foods

Eggs, poultry, fish, dairy foods, soy, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds provide protein and varying amounts of tryptophan.

You may have heard that turkey makes everyone sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner. Tryptophan probably deserves less credit for that post-dinner nap than the large meal and relaxing afternoon surrounding it. 😴

Tryptophan is important—but turkey isn’t a natural sleeping pill.

🌾 Whole Grains and Other Complex Carbohydrates

Oats, brown rice, quinoa, whole-grain breads, and other minimally processed carbohydrate foods can be part of a balanced evening meal.

The bigger lesson isn’t to build dinner around a particular “sleep food.” It’s to build a balanced plate with foods you enjoy and tolerate well.

And what if dinner was hours ago and your stomach starts rumbling just before bedtime?

That brings us to our next question:

What About a Bedtime Snack?

We’ve probably all heard the advice: “Don’t eat before bed.”

But like many nutrition rules, the answer isn’t quite that simple.

Going to bed after a large or heavy meal can leave your digestive system working when you’re trying to settle down. For some people, eating too much—or choosing rich, fatty, spicy, or acidic foods close to bedtime—can also contribute to indigestion or acid reflux, making a comfortable night’s sleep more difficult.

But going to bed genuinely hungry isn’t necessarily helpful either. A growling stomach can be distracting when you’re trying to relax and fall asleep. If dinner was several hours ago and you’re truly hungry, a small, simple snack may be a better choice than trying to ignore your hunger.

The emphasis is on small and simple.

A few possibilities might include:

• A small serving of plain yogurt with a few berries
• A banana with a small amount of nut butter
• A piece of fruit with a handful of unsalted nuts
• A small bowl of oatmeal
• A few whole-grain crackers with a little cheese

These aren’t “sleep-inducing” snacks. They’re simply examples of modest, nutrient-dense choices that may satisfy hunger without turning bedtime into another full meal.

It can also help to pay attention to your own body. If a particular evening snack leaves you feeling comfortable and satisfied, that’s useful information. If eating close to bedtime consistently leaves you feeling overly full, causes heartburn, or seems to interfere with your sleep, you may do better eating a little earlier—or looking at whether dinner itself is keeping you satisfied through the evening.

And before reaching for chocolate, coffee ice cream, or another favorite nighttime treat, there’s something else worth considering:

Your bedtime snack may be small—but the caffeine hiding inside it may not be.

That brings us to:

Caffeine: It’s Not Just Your Morning Coffee ☕

For many of us, coffee is part of the morning routine. And there’s nothing necessarily wrong with enjoying that first cup of the day.

But when we’re trying to improve sleep, both when we consume caffeine and how much we consume can matter.

Caffeine helps us feel more alert by interfering with the effects of adenosine, a chemical that gradually builds up in the brain while we’re awake and contributes to the feeling of sleepiness. That’s helpful at 8:00 in the morning. It may be less helpful when you’re trying to wind down at night.

And caffeine can stay in the body for hours. Research has found that caffeine consumed several hours before bedtime can still interfere with sleep, particularly at higher doses. In one controlled study, a substantial 400-milligram dose disrupted sleep even when it was consumed six hours before bedtime. More recent research also reinforces an important point: the amount of caffeine matters as well as the timing.

That’s one reason a universal caffeine cutoff doesn’t work equally well for everyone. Rather than focusing on a particular time on the clock, it may be more useful to pay attention to your own caffeine habits and your sleep.

And remember, coffee isn’t the only source.

Caffeine may also be found in:

• Regular and some specialty teas
• Colas and other caffeinated soft drinks
• Energy drinks
• Chocolate and cocoa
• Coffee- or chocolate-flavored foods
• Some over-the-counter medications and supplements

The National Institute on Aging specifically recommends that older adults avoid caffeine late in the day and points to coffee, tea, chocolate, and soda as common sources.

Try a Simple Caffeine Experiment

If you’re having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, try moving your last caffeinated drink earlier in the day for a week or two and see what happens.

Maybe that means switching an afternoon coffee to decaf, choosing a caffeine-free beverage with lunch, or simply paying closer attention to caffeine you didn’t realize you were consuming.

You don’t necessarily have to give up your morning coffee. Sometimes the better question is simply:

“Could I enjoy it a little earlier?”

Alcohol and Sleep: Relaxing Isn’t the Same as Sleeping Better 🍷

A glass of wine with dinner or an evening cocktail may feel relaxing. And because alcohol can make us feel drowsy, it’s easy to assume that it helps us sleep.

But feeling sleepy and getting good-quality sleep aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Alcohol can have a sedating effect, particularly at higher amounts, which may make falling asleep easier for some people. But research shows that alcohol can also change the normal structure of sleep, including delaying and reducing REM sleep—an important stage we cycle through throughout the night. A recent systematic review found effects on REM sleep even at relatively low amounts of alcohol, with disruption increasing as the amount consumed increased.

The result can be a night that begins with drowsiness but doesn’t provide the quality of sleep you expected.

Alcohol may present another issue for people who snore or have obstructive sleep apnea. Research suggests that drinking alcohol can worsen snoring and breathing disturbances during sleep in people who are susceptible to them.

Pay Attention to Timing—and to Your Sleep

Just as we suggested with caffeine, it can be helpful to notice what happens in your own routine.

If you enjoy an alcoholic drink, pay attention to whether evenings when you drink—particularly closer to bedtime—are followed by more restless sleep, nighttime awakenings, or feeling less refreshed the next morning.

The goal isn’t to make alcohol “good” or “bad.” It’s simply to recognize that something that helps you feel relaxed before bed may not necessarily help you sleep better once you’re there.

And there’s one more evening-drink balancing act we should talk about. We want to stay well hydrated—but drinking a day’s worth of water just before climbing into bed can create a different problem.

That brings us to:

Hydration: Finding the Evening Balance 💧

Staying well hydrated is important at every age. But when it comes to sleep, when you drink may matter almost as much as how much you drink.

If you’ve ever tried to “catch up” on your water in the evening, you may already know the problem. Drinking a large amount of fluid close to bedtime can increase the likelihood that you’ll need to get up during the night to use the bathroom.

Waking during the night to urinate—known as nocturia—becomes increasingly common with age and can interrupt an otherwise restful night’s sleep. But nighttime bathroom trips aren’t always caused simply by drinking too much water. Bladder problems, certain medications, sleep disorders, and a number of health conditions can also contribute.

The answer, then, isn’t to stop drinking water.

A better approach for many people may be to spread fluids throughout the day and gradually ease up as bedtime approaches. That way, you’re supporting good hydration without trying to make up for an entire day’s worth of fluids in the hours before bed.

Shift, Don’t Skip

A simple experiment might look like this:

• Drink regularly throughout the morning and afternoon.
• Have fluids with meals rather than saving most of them for the evening.
• As bedtime gets closer, ease up on large glasses of water or other beverages.
• Use the bathroom before going to bed.

And remember the two drinks we just discussed: caffeine and alcohol can complicate the picture, so what you’re drinking matters too.

The goal isn’t to go to bed thirsty. It’s to find a comfortable balance between staying hydrated during the day and giving your bladder less work to do during the night.

If you’re regularly waking several times a night to use the bathroom—or the problem is new or becoming more frequent—it’s worth discussing with your healthcare provider rather than assuming it’s simply part of getting older. Nocturia can have several underlying causes that may be treatable.

And there’s another part of the evening routine that can affect how comfortable you are once you climb into bed:

When you eat dinner—and how much you eat—may matter too.

That brings us to:

Dinner Timing and Portion Size

What you eat for dinner matters—but when you eat and how much you eat may matter too.

A large, heavy meal late in the evening can leave you feeling overly full just when your body is trying to settle down for the night. And if you’re prone to heartburn or acid reflux, lying down soon after eating may make nighttime symptoms more likely. Research on reflux supports allowing some time between the last meal of the day and going to bed.

That doesn’t mean everyone needs to eat dinner at the same time.

Your schedule may look very different from someone else’s. Instead of watching the clock for a perfect dinner hour, consider giving your body a little time to digest before you lie down for the night.

Portion size matters as well. A balanced dinner that leaves you comfortably satisfied may be easier to settle with than a very large meal that leaves you feeling stuffed.

And what should actually be on the plate?

Nothing exotic. A sleep-friendly dinner can look a lot like the kind of balanced meal we’d recommend for healthy aging in general:

• A source of protein, such as fish, poultry, eggs, beans, lentils, or tofu
• Vegetables or fruit for fiber and a variety of nutrients
• A whole grain or other complex carbohydrate, such as brown rice, quinoa, oats, or a baked potato
• Healthy fats in reasonable portions, from foods such as olive oil, avocado, nuts, or seeds

Let Your Stomach Have a Vote

Some foods simply don’t sit well with everyone in the evening.

Spicy foods, rich or high-fat meals, tomato-based dishes, chocolate, citrus, and other foods are commonly reported as reflux triggers—but that doesn’t mean everyone needs to avoid them. Research suggests that individual responses vary, making it more sensible to notice your own triggers rather than create a long list of forbidden foods.

If your favorite spicy chili never bothers you, there’s little reason for this article to tell you it can’t be on the dinner menu. But if you repeatedly notice that certain meals are followed by heartburn, discomfort, or a restless night, that’s worth paying attention to.

The goal isn’t a perfect dinner.

It’s a dinner that nourishes you, satisfies you, and lets you head toward bedtime feeling comfortable rather than overly full.

And now that we’ve talked about food, caffeine, alcohol, hydration, meal timing, and portions, let’s put everything together and see what these ideas might look like in everyday life.

A Sample “Sleep-Friendly” Evening

There’s no single evening routine that works for everyone. But putting some of the ideas we’ve discussed together might look something like this:

🍽️ 5:30–6:30 PM — Enjoy a Balanced Dinner
Choose a satisfying meal with protein, vegetables, a whole grain or other complex carbohydrate, and some healthy fat. The goal isn’t a perfect “sleep meal”—it’s to finish dinner feeling comfortably satisfied rather than overly full.

🚶 After Dinner — Take a Little Time to Move
A gentle walk, tidying up the kitchen, watering the garden, or simply moving around for a while can be a pleasant way to transition out of dinner and into the evening.

💧 As the Evening Goes On — Ease Up on Fluids
Continue drinking if you’re thirsty, but try not to save most of your day’s hydration for the hours just before bed. Think shift, don’t skip.

☕ Later in the Evening — Keep Caffeine in Mind
If you enjoy an evening beverage, consider a caffeine-free option rather than regular coffee or caffeinated tea—especially if you’ve noticed that caffeine affects your sleep.

🍌 If Hunger Strikes — Keep It Small and Simple
If dinner was hours ago and you’re genuinely hungry, a small snack such as fruit with a few nuts, yogurt, or a little oatmeal may be enough to satisfy you without feeling like another meal.

🌙 As Bedtime Approaches — Let the Kitchen Wind Down Too
Give yourself some time between eating and lying down, particularly if you’re prone to indigestion or reflux. Use the bathroom before bed, then let the focus shift away from food and drinks and toward your regular wind-down routine.

The point isn’t to follow this schedule minute by minute.

It’s to notice how the choices you make throughout the evening may help set the stage for the night ahead.

Don’t Chase the Perfect “Sleep Food”

After reading about tryptophan, magnesium, kiwi, tart cherries, caffeine, alcohol, hydration, and meal timing, it might be tempting to start searching for the perfect combination of foods for a good night’s sleep.

But better sleep probably isn’t hiding in any one food or drink.

A kiwi before bed can’t undo several cups of late-afternoon coffee. A handful of almonds can’t make a very large late-night dinner disappear. And tart cherry juice isn’t a substitute for the healthy sleep habits we talked about in Part I.

What may matter more is the pattern of choices you make throughout the day.

Eating balanced meals, staying hydrated earlier in the day, paying attention to caffeine and alcohol, avoiding going to bed overly full—or overly hungry—and noticing how your own body responds can all be part of creating an environment that supports better sleep.

And you don’t have to change everything at once.

Maybe your simple step is moving your afternoon coffee a little earlier. Maybe it’s eating dinner sooner when you can, drinking more water during the daytime instead of catching up at night, or choosing a smaller snack when you’re hungry before bed.

Pick one change. Try it for a while. Pay attention to how you sleep.

Because sometimes the best way to discover what supports a better night’s rest isn’t to chase the perfect sleep food.

It’s simply to listen to your body.

Join the Conversation

Have you noticed that certain foods or drinks seem to affect how well you sleep?

Maybe you’ve found that an afternoon cup of coffee keeps you awake longer than it used to, eating dinner earlier helps you feel more comfortable at bedtime, or a small evening snack works better for you than going to bed hungry.

We’d love to hear what’s working for you.

Join the conversation on Facebook or Instagram and share the simple food or drink habits that have helped you get a better night’s rest.

Your experience might just give someone else an idea worth trying.

Final Wrap-Up

Better sleep doesn’t begin with one perfect food, a special bedtime snack, or a rigid set of rules.

It may begin with something much simpler: paying attention to how the choices you make throughout the day affect the way you sleep at night.

What you eat and drink, when you have your last cup of coffee, how late you eat dinner, and when you drink most of your fluids may all play a part. But you don’t need to change everything at once.

Choose one small change that feels realistic. Give it some time. Notice how you feel.

And remember, food and drink are only part of the bigger sleep picture. The daytime and nighttime habits we explored in Part I still matter too.

Better sleep isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about finding the simple habits that work for you—and building on them one step at a time.

Because when it comes to healthy aging, Longevity Starts With Simple Steps.

Coming Next in Better Sleep After 60

In Part III, we’ll take a closer look at natural sleep aids, herbal teas, and supplements—including what the research tells us, what deserves a little caution, and what you may want to discuss with your healthcare provider before adding it to your nighttime routine.