A New Jersey-based registered dietitian, Erin Palinski-Wade, has outlined how diet can affect sleep quality, highlighting foods that help and habits that hinder rest. She told Fox News Digital that keeping blood sugar stable, eating tart cherries and limiting caffeine, particularly later in the day, are key strategies, while stimulants such as caffeine can disrupt the ability to fall and stay asleep.

Palinski-Wade said combining lean proteins, slow-digesting carbohydrates and healthy fats helps stabilise blood sugar, calling this the "No. 1 way" to improve sleep, and noted that middle-of-the-night waking may be linked to glucose fluctuations rather than insomnia. She recommends tart cherries or 4-6 ounces of 100% tart cherry juice for their melatonin content, alongside anti-inflammatory foods like nuts, olive oil and avocados, though research on tart cherries' benefits remains limited. On caffeine, she advises stopping intake around 10 hours before bedtime and staying within a "sweet spot" of 300mg or less daily, since excess caffeine acts as a stressor that raises cortisol, promotes fat storage and increases inflammation, working against restful sleep.