Best Foods for Better Sleep in Perimenopause
Poor sleep is one of the hardest parts of perimenopause. These foods support melatonin production, reduce cortisol, and promote deeper, longer sleep.
Why Perimenopause Disrupts Sleep
Sleep problems during perimenopause are not simply a matter of hot flashes keeping you awake, though that is certainly a factor. Oestrogen and progesterone both play roles in sleep architecture. Progesterone has sedative properties through its effect on GABA receptors, so as progesterone falls in the early stages of perimenopause, sleep becomes lighter and more fragmented. Oestrogen influences REM sleep and body temperature regulation. The result is that many women find themselves waking frequently, lying awake in the small hours, or feeling unrefreshed despite spending adequate time in bed. Diet influences sleep through multiple pathways, including melatonin synthesis, cortisol regulation, and blood sugar stability through the night.
Tryptophan-Rich Foods
Tryptophan is an amino acid that serves as the raw material for both serotonin and melatonin. Without adequate dietary tryptophan, the body cannot produce enough melatonin to properly regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Turkey is the most famous source, but tryptophan is also found in chicken, oily fish, eggs, dairy products, seeds (particularly pumpkin and sesame), nuts, soy products, and oats. Eating tryptophan-rich foods in the evening, ideally alongside a small amount of carbohydrate (which helps tryptophan cross the blood-brain barrier), is a practical way to support melatonin production. A small evening snack of oat cakes with nut butter, or a small bowl of warm oatmeal with seeds, fits this model well.
Tart Cherry
Tart cherries are one of the few natural food sources of melatonin in meaningful amounts, and they have one of the strongest evidence bases among sleep foods. Multiple randomised trials have found that tart cherry juice or tart cherry concentrate reduces insomnia severity, increases total sleep time, and improves sleep efficiency in adults with insomnia. The effects appear to be due to both melatonin content and the anti-inflammatory anthocyanins in tart cherries, which may reduce the inflammatory signalling that disrupts sleep. A standard serving in trials is around 240 ml of tart cherry juice twice daily, though a concentrated capsule or powder form is more practical for daily use. Look for Montmorency cherry specifically, which is the variety with the most research.
Magnesium-Rich Foods
Magnesium supports sleep through its effects on GABA receptor activity and its role in muscle relaxation and nervous system calming. Low magnesium is associated with restless sleep, frequent waking, and difficulty falling asleep. Good dietary sources of magnesium include dark leafy greens like spinach and kale, seeds (particularly pumpkin seeds), legumes, whole grains, dark chocolate, and avocado. In practice, many women fall short of the recommended daily intake of magnesium from diet alone, making supplementation a reasonable complement to dietary sources. If adding magnesium-rich foods feels too modest a step, magnesium glycinate taken in the evening is well supported by both mechanistic evidence and clinical trials for sleep quality.
Avoiding Blood Sugar Spikes Before Bed
Blood sugar instability through the night is a frequently overlooked contributor to poor sleep in perimenopause. When blood sugar drops during the night, the body releases adrenaline and cortisol to correct it, which causes arousal and waking. Eating high-sugar foods or refined carbohydrates in the evening increases the likelihood of this happening. Conversely, a small, balanced evening snack combining protein and slow-release carbohydrate can stabilise blood sugar overnight. Practical examples include a small handful of nuts with a piece of fruit, a slice of wholegrain toast with eggs, or full-fat yoghurt with berries. The goal is to avoid going to bed either very hungry or with blood sugar already spiking.
Foods and Drinks to Reduce or Avoid
Caffeine is the most significant dietary disruptor of sleep and is often underestimated. Caffeine has a half-life of around five to seven hours in most people, meaning a cup of coffee at 3pm still has half its caffeine load active at 8pm. For perimenopausal women whose sleep is already fragile, cutting caffeine intake off by midday or switching to half-caffeinated options in the afternoon can make a substantial difference. Alcohol deserves mention here because many women use it to help them fall asleep. While alcohol does induce drowsiness initially, it disrupts sleep architecture in the second half of the night, increasing light sleep and reducing REM. Even moderate alcohol consumption worsens sleep quality overall.
Building a Sleep-Supportive Evening Routine Around Food
Timing matters as much as food choice. Eating a large meal within two hours of bed strains digestion and raises core body temperature, both of which interfere with sleep onset. A lighter evening meal with the bulk of the day's calories eaten earlier gives the body time to wind down before sleep. Herbal teas like chamomile, valerian, and passionflower have mild sedative effects and provide a calming pre-bed ritual without the downsides of alcohol or caffeine. Tracking your sleep quality alongside evening meal timing, food choices, and exercise can reveal useful patterns. PeriPlan allows you to log symptoms over time, giving you a clearer picture of how dietary habits are affecting your sleep across weeks and months.
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