Dietitian names blood sugar control and tart cherries as top sleep aids, warns on caffeine

Keeping blood sugar stable throughout the day is the No. 1 dietary move for better sleep, according to Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, certified diabetes care specialist, and author of "The Sleepdemic Solution." She told Fox News Digital that combining lean proteins, slow-digesting carbohydrates, and healthy fats at meals and snacks is the most direct way to hold those levels steady and improve overall sleep quality.

Palinski-Wade said glucose fluctuations may explain nighttime wake-ups that people often blame on insomnia. Steadier blood sugar during waking hours may reduce afternoon energy crashes and allow for more restorative sleep at night, she said.

Tart cherries and the melatonin question

For a more targeted fix, Palinski-Wade named tart cherries, or 100% tart cherry juice, as her top food choice. Tart cherries contain some of the highest natural melatonin levels of any food, she said, and also carry compounds that help extend the body's ability to use that melatonin. For people dealing with insomnia, she recommended 4 to 6 ounces of 100% tart cherry juice or roughly a quarter cup of dried tart cherries.

The evidence behind the recommendation is limited. A 2025 systematic review found research linking tart cherry consumption to improvements in sleep duration or quality to be limited and mixed.

Palinski-Wade also pointed to antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory foods as supporting sleep, naming nuts and seeds, olive oil, and avocados. More antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in the body, she said, help the body reach a more restful state.

The caffeine ceiling

Caffeine is the habit she flagged most directly. Many people who sleep poorly reach for caffeine the next day, Palinski-Wade said, which compounds the problem. She advised cutting off caffeine about 10 hours before bedtime.

Her daily "sweet spot" is 300 milligrams or less. A standard 8-ounce cup of coffee carries roughly 100 milligrams. The FDA says up to 400 milligrams daily is not generally associated with negative effects for most adults, though individual tolerance varies with medications, health conditions, and caffeine sensitivity.

Above 300 milligrams, Palinski-Wade said, the body begins releasing cortisol and adrenaline. Those stress hormones increase inflammation and shift the body toward fat storage rather than fat burning, she said, and both responses work against restful sleep.