Aurelio Rojas, cardiologist: “If you eat a bowl of kefir with blueberries before bed, you’ll get more restful sleep”
The expert recommends a series of foods that help promote more restorative sleep and highlights those that can make it worse.
There are moments at night when falling asleep feels like it should have been one of Hercules’ labors, somewhere between slaying the Lernaean Hydra and capturing the Cretan Bull. What’s even more frustrating is finally managing to sleep, only to wake up feeling unrefreshed despite getting plenty of hours. That’s exactly what Aurelio Rojas, a cardiologist, is trying to address with a handful of simple dietary tips that turn dinner into a gateway to better rest.
“There are fruits that are especially recommended at night when the goal is to avoid disrupting glucose and insulin levels and improve rest, which is extremely important for heart health,” he explains, pointing first to kiwi. “It’s high in vitamin C, contains precursors to serotonin and has a very low glycemic index. Clinical studies have linked it to improved sleep onset and quality, as well as benefits for the immune system and gut microbiota.”
Blueberries and apples
Kiwi isn’t the only option. “Berries, such as blueberries, are also very beneficial because they’re rich in polyphenols and have anti-inflammatory effects that protect the heart,” he says, noting that they “don’t cause spikes in blood sugar or activate the nervous system at night.” He also highlights apples — preferably washed and eaten with the skin — because they “provide pectin, a soluble fiber that slows digestion and increases satiety without interfering with sleep, helping you rest better and wake up less hungry.”
On the other hand, he suggests limiting “fruits with a high sugar load,” such as grapes, bananas, pineapple or mango. “They may help you fall asleep, but they can fragment your rest, so you wake up feeling exhausted despite having slept. Over time, that can affect heart health.”
The kefir option
Instead, he recommends kefir, which “provides protein and fat, slowing the absorption of sugars from fruit, improving nighttime glucose response, and delivering probiotics that support the gut-brain axis. It can help promote more stable sleep, especially in people who wake up during the night.”
Kefir is a fermented milk drink, similar to a thinner, more tangy yogurt, made using live cultures of bacteria and yeast. It’s rich in probiotics, as well as protein and healthy fats, which help slow digestion and support gut health.
He sums up his advice in a simple recommendation: “Have a small bowl of kefir with kiwi or blueberries, plus some nuts or flax seeds. And if you’re lactose intolerant, you can try a plain lactose-free yogurt.” Then it’s time to sleep — not quite like Hercules, who would likely be more exhausted, but in a far more restorative way.
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