What should you eat for a better night's sleep?

Hi Georgie.

Hi Phil. Now, Phil, do you ever struggle to get a good night's sleep?

You know, I do sometimes. If I've been thinking about something a lot, or even worse, if I've had a cup of coffee later than I should, sometimes I can lie there for hours.

Yes. Well, many of us will be familiar with that feeling of lying in bed, feeling really tired, but just not being able to go to sleep, but what causes us to struggle to sleep and is there anything we can do about it? Well, researchers have for a while been interested in the link between what we eat and how we sleep. Today on 6 Minute English, we'll be talking about this and asking, "What should you eat for a better night's sleep?" OK. Phil, let's start with a quiz question. So, adults need between 7-9 hours sleep a night to stay healthy, according to experts, but what percentage of people in the UK say they get less than this? Is it:
a) 15%,
b) 25%, or
c) 35%?

OK. I think people find sleeping hard, so I think it's going to be c) 35%.

OK. Well, we'll find out the answer later in the programme.

Georgie, you've been looking at the research on this. Do scientists think that what we eat affects how we sleep?

Yes, they do. Scientists have done some long-term studies. So, looking at large groups of people over a long period of time, and they found that a healthier diet is associated with better quality sleep. They've also done some smaller studies looking in more detail at exactly what people are eating and then studying how they sleep in a laboratory.

OK. And in these studies, have they found that particular foods are better for our sleep than others?

Well, it's less about particular foods and more about particular nutrients. So, nutrients means important things your body needs to survive and be healthy. For example, protein is a nutrient. BBC World Service programme The Food Chain has been speaking to researcher Professor Marie-Pierre St-Onge about which nutrients are important for sleep.

Marie-Pierre says that Mediterranean-style diets are associated with good sleep. A Mediterranean diet includes lots of vegetables and less animal-based foods such as meat and dairy.

Yes, and Marie-Pierre's own research shows that some nutrients, such as fibre, are important for sleep and others, such as saturated fats, are less important. Saturated fat is a type of fat mainly found in meat and dairy that's thought to be bad for your health.

Right. And according to Marie-Pierre, eating less saturated fat and more nutrients like fibre is associated with more deep sleep at night. A deep sleep is when you are more fully asleep and your body is able to rest.

So, Georgie, it sounds like thinking about our diets is important if we want to improve our sleep. And now I've heard that certain foods have a lot of nutrients that can be helpful for sleep. Is that true?

Well, there is some limited research on specific foods and their impact on sleep. So, for example, scientists have been studying kiwi fruits and also tart cherry juice. And you may also see adverts for supplements that claim to improve sleep. Supplements are tablets you take, which contain particular nutrients that you might not get in your everyday diet. But experts say that focusing on our whole diet, rather than one particular fruit or supplement, is going to be the most effective. Here's sleep doctor Allie Hare explaining more to BBC World Service programme The Food Chain.

Allie says people are looking for a supplement that can help them sleep.

Yes. She says we are fed information on social media about magical tablets. If you are fed information, you are given lots of it in a continuous way.

But Allie argues that experts know there's no magic bullet to help you sleep, and a magic bullet refers to a simple and effective solution to a problem that's usually one that doesn't exist. OK. Well, now I think it's time to find out the answer to your quiz question, Georgie.

Yes. I asked you what percentage of UK adults say they get less than seven hours sleep a night.

And I said I thought it was c) 35%.

Saturated fats are fats mainly found in meat and dairy products that are thought to be bad for our health.

A deep sleep is when your body is fully asleep and able to rest.

Supplements are tablets or other things which contain particular nutrients you might not get in your everyday diet.

To feed information means to give lots of it in a continuous way.

And a magic bullet is a simple and effective solution, and it's often one that doesn't exist.

Once again, our six minutes are up, but don't forget you can test what you've learned with the worksheet on our website. Go to bbclearningenglish.com.

Thanks for joining us and goodbye.

Goodbye!