A PhD & RD's Nonnegotiables For Stellar Sleep (We Bet They Surprise You!) 

In our society, a lack of sleep is typically seen as this badge of honor: You have so much on your plate—professionally, socially, what have you—that who cares if your shut-eye isn't as healthy as it could be? You might even frame sleep as an aspiration: I'll catch more zzz's later in life, many say. 

What people often forget is that sleep is an essential daily need, so it shouldn't be an afterthought. "If someone said they haven't consumed water in a few days, you'd be like, 'That's really bad.' The same should be with sleep," says mbg's director of scientific affairs Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN, on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast.  

Ferira is a fan of eating in a sleep-smart way throughout the day—namely, including high-quality sources of protein and colorful, magnesium-rich plant foods. Magnesium is a mineral that's important for lots of functions in the body, including sleep2,* and according to Ferira, it's a major nutrient gap3. "Nuts, seeds, whole grains, leafy greens, legumes—these are magnesium-dense foods that should go into your [grocery] cart." (You can find our full list of magnesium-rich foods here, if you're curious.) 

No matter your recipe of choice, Ferira also recommends avoiding anything excessive before hitting the hay: excessively sweet, spicy, or heavy. "Our largest meals should not ever be close to bedtime," she notes. "You might put some wonderfully spicy things in your shopping cart, but don't consume those near bedtime." 

That's not to say you must invest in an adult-size onesie. What Ferira is saying is to create a wind-down routine that prepares you for sleep, whatever that looks like for you as a unique individual. Perhaps it's lighting a candle or taking a long soak in the tub; or maybe it's stretching while listening to some calming music. Maybe it's finding a supplement with a lineup of botanicals and bioactives clinically shown to have a calming effect on the brain.*

"It's really a buffet of options," says Ferira. For her own wind-down routine, she watches relaxing TV shows (minding her blue light exposure, of course), indulges in a mini massage while cleansing her face (hello, personalized beauty routines), and focuses on prayer. 

OK, we just discussed the best foods for promoting rest, but Ferira shares an interesting tidbit about the link between time-restricted eating (a type of intermittent fasting) and sleep she read in the journal Endocrine Reviews. 

According to the cutting-edge research, consuming meals in consistent daily windows of less than 12 hours is associated with less obesity, better metabolic health, better quality of life, and—here's the kicker!—better sleep. On the flip side, they found that "eating over a longer window and/or frequently changing that window is linked to exactly the opposite," says Ferira.