Eating foods that help you sleep can make a major difference to the amount of rest you get and may even speed up the time it takes to drop off at night. In fact, eating a balanced diet overall goes hand in hand with quality sleep.

So why do we need good sleep? According to registered dietitian Monique Richard, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, “adequate and sufficient quality sleep is essential for the recovery of our systems through cellular turnover and a variety of molecular processes that happen while we are at rest”.

“Quality sleep allows cognitive function to be restored – according to the journal Cerebrum – for muscles to recover and for the accumulated toxins and byproducts to be cleared out,” she adds. “It also supports emotional and mood stability. Put simply, it is essential for physiological and psychological processes.”

By contrast, poor-quality sleep can affect our circadian rhythm: the body’s internal clock. Richard says that this can lead to higher cortisol (stress hormone) levels, which in turn can affect blood glucose regulation, altering energy levels and how the body stores energy.

And when you’re tired, the appetite-regulating hormones ghrelin and leptin can be affected, affecting food choices, as well as how much and how often you eat.

“Often, to combat fatigue, more 'instant gratification' choices are made, such as stimulants like coffee or foods higher in fat, sugar and/or salt,” Richard adds. “These can impact weight management, blood glucose regulation, or further deplete energy stores, making us more tired.”

It’s clear that good-quality sleep is crucial for overall health and wellbeing. As well as trying the best magnesium supplements to help you relax and unwind, read on to find out the best foods that have sleep-boosting properties.

Related: How to fall asleep?Related: How to sleep for longer?

How does diet affect sleep?

“Large amounts of saturated fat may affect sleep duration and overall sleep wellness — think meats, pizza, fast food, processed foods, desserts, pre-prepared meals and baked goods,” she says.