This guide covers practical strategies to improve sleep quality through nutrition, lifestyle habits, and gentle naturopathic approaches.

Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.

Why Sleep Matters

Sleep supports hormone balance, immunity, digestion, energy, mood, and cognitive performance. Poor sleep can contribute to stress, low mood, cravings, brain fog, and digestive issues.

Key Principles for Better Sleep

1. Balance blood sugar

Stable blood sugar helps regulate evening tiredness and prevents nighttime waking.

  • Include protein and healthy fats with every meals

  • Avoid sugary snacks

  • Consider a light evening snack with protein if you often wake between 2–4 AM

  • Avoid caffeinated drinks, especially after 12pm.

2. Support your circadian rhythm

Your internal clock relies on cues from light, food, and routine.

  • Morning daylight exposure (5–10 minutes), within 30min of waking up.

  • Keep consistent sleep/wake times.

  • Dim lights 1–2 hours before bed.

  • Avoid blue-light exposure 2h before bed. This means no screens, and to replace home lights with lights which are able to filter out all blue frequencies. In alternative, you can get blue-light blocking glasses to wear during the evening.

3. Nourish with sleep‑supporting nutrients

Key nutrients that calm the nervous system and promote melatonin production:

  • Magnesium: leafy greens, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains

  • Tryptophan‑rich foods: turkey, oats, bananas, seeds

  • B vitamins: whole grains, legumes, leafy greens, eggs.

  • Omega‑3 fats: oily fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds

4. Reduce evening gut stressors

Digestive discomfort can disrupt sleep.

  • Avoid heavy, rich meals late in the evening.

  • Limit caffeine after midday.

  • Avoid alcohol (it fragments sleep).

5. Create a restful evening routine

Your nervous system needs time to transition out of alert mode.

  • Screens off at least 60 minutes before bed.

  • Gentle stretching or a slow walk.

  • Warm bath or shower.

  • Keep evening conversations and work light when possible. A good rule of thumb comes from the Galateo, the book on polite behaviour, which invites avoidance of topics such as current tragedies, health and diseases, politics, religion, and other distressing subjects.

  • Breathing exercises, mindfulness, or meditation.

6. Support the Gut–Brain Axis

Your microbiome influences sleep hormones and stress resilience.

  • Eat fibre‑rich foods.

  • Avoid sugars.

  • Include fermented foods (probiotics).

  • Manage stress throughout the day.

Marco Caspani

Last update: 13/11/2025

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