Want Better Sleep? Eat These Foods [A Gut Doctor Explains]
Written by: Vincent Pedre M.D. | May 17, 2025 | Time to read 8 min
If you’ve ever struggled to fall asleep—or to stay asleep—you’re certainly not alone. As a functional medicine doctor who’s worked with hundreds of women between the ages of 35 and 55, I know firsthand how frustrating poor sleep can be, especially when you’re juggling a busy life, fluctuating hormones, and a digestive system that just doesn’t feel quite right anymore.
But here’s something you might not realize: the secret to better sleep may not lie in your nighttime routine alone—it might actually start on your plate. Yes, the foods you eat can help your body produce more of the calming, sleep-inducing hormones you need to truly rest and reset. And no, I’m not just talking about a warm glass of milk at bedtime (although there’s a reason that one’s been passed down for generations!).
Let’s dig into the science —and then I’ll give you a list of specific foods that can nourish your body and your sleep, while also supporting a healthy gut.
The Sleep-Hormone Connection: Tryptophan, Serotonin, and Melatonin
To understand how food affects your sleep, we need to talk about a molecule called tryptophan —an essential amino acid that plays a starring role in the sleep story. Tryptophan is the starting material your body uses to create serotonin, a brain chemical that influences mood, appetite, and—you guessed it—sleep. Serotonin is then converted into melatonin, the hormone your brain releases at night to tell your body it’s time to wind down.
This is what the conversion pathway looks like. I know it’s kind of “sciency,” but it basically shows that without serotonin, you can’t make melatonin. And without L-tryptophan, you can’t make serotonin. These pathways are super important, because we don’t get serotonin or melatonin directly from food.
The Serotonin Paradox Most Influencers Get Wrong
But here’s where things get interesting: serotonin doesn’t just float freely from your gut into your brain. In fact, over 90% of the body’s serotonin is made in the gut, BUT this serotonin cannot cross the blood-brain barrier —a highly selective filter that protects your brain from unwanted substances. So even though your gut is swimming in serotonin, none of it can directly enter your brain or affect your slee
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So how does the brain make its own serotonin and melatonin? It imports tryptophan from your bloodstream—tryptophan that you got from your diet—and then synthesizes serotonin and melatonin from scratch, right inside the brain.
Bottom line? If you want your brain to produce the sleep hormone it needs, you must feed it the right foods that provide enough tryptophan—and support your gut health along the way.
What Is Tryptophan, and How Does It Help You Sleep?
Tryptophan is what’s called an essential amino acid, meaning your body cannot make it on its own. You must get it through food. Once it’s digested and absorbed into your bloodstream, tryptophan can cross the blood-brain barrier (unlike serotonin itself) and be used by your brain to make the serotonin that eventually becomes melatonin.
This process takes place mostly in a small but mighty brain structure called the pineal gland, which turns serotonin into melatoninat night, setting the stage for restful, restorative sleep.
However, not all tryptophan from your food makes it to your brain. It has to compete with other amino acids for entry through the blood-brain barrier, so simply eating a high-protein meal doesn’t guarantee more tryptophan will reach your brain.
In fact, a small amount of carbohydrate with your tryptophan-containing foods can help! Carbs trigger insulin, which clears some competing amino acids from your bloodstream—leaving more tryptophan available to enter the brain. That’s why a balanced meal (with both protein and healthy carbs) can sometimes help you feel calmer or sleep better.
Top Sleep-Supporting Foods (Rich in Tryptophan)
Here’s a list of the best natural sources of tryptophan that can help support serotonin and melatonin production:
Salmon – Rich in omega-3s and tryptophan, salmon supports both brain and gut health.
Turkey and Chicken – The classic post-Thanksgiving nap isn’t just a myth; turkey is packed with tryptophan.
Eggs – Particularly the yolks, which contain tryptophan and important cofactors like vitamin B6 (needed for serotonin production).
Cheese and Dairy Products – Try small portions of yogurt or cottage cheese, which also contain probiotics for your gut.
Tofu and Soy Products – Great plant-based options, also rich in tryptophan. But skip the non-organic, GMO variety, and go for organic and fermented tempeh or miso.
Nuts and Seeds – Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and almonds are great evening snacks. But not too close to bedtime, where they could sit in your stomach and disrupt sleep from too much fullness.
Oats and Complex Carbs – They offer slow-burning carbs that help tryptophan enter the brain. Think sweet potatoes with your evening meal.
Bananas – Not only do they contain a bit of tryptophan, but they also provide vitamin B6 and magnesium—two nutrients your brain loves for relaxation. Magnesium is a key cofactor in the production of GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter.
The Gut-Brain Connection: Why Gut Health Still Matters for Sleep
Now, if gut-made serotonin can’t get into the brain, why do I, as a gut doctor, spend so much time talking about the gut-brain axis when we’re discussing mood and sleep?
Here’s the truth: your gut influences your sleep, even if its serotonin doesn’t directly enter the brain. It does so through a network of indirect communication, including:
1. Microbial Influence on Tryptophan Availability
Your gut bacteria actually play a role in how much tryptophan is available for your body to use. Certain beneficial microbes help increase tryptophan absorption and reduce its breakdown into inflammatory compounds, while a dysbiotic (unbalanced) microbiome may steal or divert tryptophan away from serotonin production.
2. Gut-Derived Signaling via the Vagus Nerve
Serotonin in your gut triggers signals between your gut and brain via the vagus nerve —your body’s information superhighway connecting gut to brain. The reason is your vagus nerve has serotonin receptors that span the length of your gut like the roots of a tree. These signals can influence mood, anxiety, and even sleep rhythms. When the vagus nervs sends a signal up to the brain from your gut, it releases GABA (remember, that shush neurotransmitter) in your brain, calming things down.
That’s why disturbances in your gut (like bloating, constipation, or SIBO) can directly affect how you feel mentally and emotionally by disturbing how the vagus nerve is firing and sending signals back to the brain..
3. Inflammation and the Kynurenine Pathway
When your gut is inflamed—often due to an unhealthy microbiome—it can redirect tryptophan into a secondary metabolic route called the kynurenine pathway, producing compounds associated with inflammation (they activate your immune response) and even neurodegeneration (because they activate the brain microglia — the brain’s own special forces). This shift reduces the tryptophan available for serotonin and melatonin production, impacting your mood and sleep.
Dietary Serotonin vs. Brain Serotonin: Know the Difference
It’s worth repeating: dietary serotonin is not the same as brain serotonin.
Many foods contain small amounts of serotonin (like bananas, tomatoes, and walnuts), but this serotonin is broken down during digestion and cannot cross into your brain due to the blood-brain barrier. Similarly, the serotonin made by gut cells or microbes acts locally—regulating digestion, motility, and immune responses—but not sleep or mood.
So while it’s tempting to look for “serotonin-rich” superfoods, the real secret to supporting brain serotonin is ensuring a steady supply of dietary tryptophan, coupled with a healthy gut microbiome and balanced meals that support its transport into the brain.
Bonus: The Role of Carbs in Sleep (Yes, You Can Eat Them!)
Many women I work with are afraid of carbs—and understandably so, especially after years of being told that “carbs are bad.” But when it comes to sleep, smart carbs can help.
As I mentioned earlier, insulin released after eating carbohydrates helps shuttle competing amino acids out of the bloodstream, giving tryptophan a clearer path to the brain. This is one reason why a small, healthy evening snack that includes both complex carbs and tryptophan—like oats with almond butter or a banana with a few walnuts—can promote sleepiness.
So yes, that post-dinner snack can be a helpful part of your sleep strategy—when chosen wisely.
💤 Bonus Support: How CBD Helps Regulate Sleep Cycles
While food lays the foundation for better sleep by fueling your body’s production of tryptophan, serotonin, and melatonin, sometimes you need a little extra support—especially if your mind feels wired at bedtime or your sleep feels fragmented.
That’s where CBD (cannabidiol) and CBN (cannabinol) can come in. These natural plant compounds have been shown to indirectly support melatonin production and help regulate your body’s circadian rhythm. Unlike traditional sleep aids, CBD and CBN:
- Don’t cause morning grogginess
- Support deep, uninterrupted sleep
- Work in harmony with your natural sleep-wake cycles
I’ve personally tested CBDistillery’s shhh CBN + CBD Sleep Gummies, and I can tell you—they work. I wake up refreshed and clear-headed, knowing I’ve truly rested. CBDistillery is one of the few brands I trust because their products are:
✅ Third-party tested for purity and potency
✅ Made from U.S.-grown, organic hemp
✅ Available in full-spectrum and broad-spectrum formulas
✅ Offered in easy-to-use forms like oils, gummies, and softgels
Whether you’re struggling with sleep or just looking to enhance your nightly wind-down, a blend of CBN + CBD could be a safe and effective addition to your routine.
Want to try it? Use code HAPPYGUT25 to save 25% on your order at CBDistillery.
Hint: I love combining the shhh gummy with 2–3 drops of their oil blend when I need next-level relaxation before bed.
If you want to learn more about the science behind better sleep & digestion with hemp, I’ve actually created a full blog post about that. Check it out here.
How to Support Your Gut AND Your Sleep: Start with a Gut Reset
Now that you understand the connection between diet, tryptophan, serotonin, and sleep, here’s the most important thing to remember: Your gut sets the stage for how well your brain can function—including how well you sleep.
If your gut is inflamed, leaky, overrun with the wrong bacteria, or starved of fiber and nutrients, it becomes much harder for your body to absorb tryptophan, reduce inflammation, or send the right signals to your brain. Even a great diet won’t make up for a gut that’s not functioning properly.
That’s why I created my 28-Day Gut Reset —a comprehensive lifestyle and nutrition program designed specifically for women like you to rebalance your microbiome, reduce inflammation, and get your digestion and hormones back on track. You’ll learn:
Which gut-disrupting foods to eliminate (and what to eat instead)
How to repopulate your gut with beneficial bacteria
Natural ways to reduce inflammation and support your immune system
Supplement strategies to boost digestion and support tryptophan metabolism
And of course, it’s all designed with your energy, mood, and sleep in mind.
Final Thoughts: Sleep Isn’t Just About What Happens at Night
Great sleep starts during the day —with how you nourish your body, move your muscles, expose yourself to blue light from the sun, and manage your stress. But one of the most underappreciated keys to better rest is your diet, especially your intake of tryptophan and the health of your gut microbiome.
If you want to fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling refreshed, it’s time to look at your gut-brain connection and support it with the right foods.
Your best night of sleep may just start with your next meal.
Join my 28-Day Gut Reset and take the first step toward balanced hormones, a calmer mind, better digestion—and yes, deeper sleep.
