12 Vegan Foods and Supplements to Promote a Good Night’s Sleep

Posted by Calvin on September 19, 2024

Nothing feels better than a good night’s sleep. 😴 Getting enough sleep is crucial for your health, and since it can help you avoid burnout, it’s also super-important for your animal advocacy. If you have a hard time falling asleep, there are foods you can snack on before hitting the sack that may help. Try these 12 natural sleep aids:

1. Tart cherries

Tart cherries and cherry juice are great sources of melatonin, magnesium, and tryptophan. Here’s why that’s a top-tier trio for sleep: Melatonin regulates your body’s sleep-wake cycle, magnesium promotes relaxation, and tryptophan helps produce melatonin.

2. Bananas

Potassium and magnesium are natural muscle relaxants, and bananas are chock-full of them. 🍌 Try eating a banana as part of your bedtime routine—you’ll be dreaming of a better world for animals before you know it.

3. Nondairy milk

Here’s a rule that even nonvegans should follow: Never sleep on nondairy products. Nondairy milk made from nuts, soy, or oats gives you a good dose of tryptophan, so it can support your snooze time without separating cows from their babies and killing them when they’re no longer profitable.

4. Dark chocolate

Even though it has some caffeine, dark chocolate also has flavonoids, which may boost mental well-being. This can make it easier to relax and fall asleep—they call it “peace of mind” for a reason. 🧘

5. Chamomile tea

Humans have used chamomile to beat insomnia for thousands of years. Know why? It has apigenin, a flavonoid that acts as a mild sedative.

6. Oatmeal

Besides being packed with melatonin, oatmeal raises your blood sugar level, which can make you tired. Mix in a little nondairy milk and you’ll be out like a light.

7. Peanuts

Peanuts have a lot of niacin, or vitamin B₃. It helps your body release serotonin, which is later converted to melatonin. So basically, a PB sandwich is a perf pre-sleep snack.

8. Pumpkin seed powder

Not only does pumpkin seed powder exist (who knew?), it also has more tryptophan than a glass of milk—and none of the dairy industry’s cruelty to cows. Mix it with applesauce and spread it on whole-wheat toast for a yummy bedtime snack.

9. Vegan cheese and crackers

This combo is a one-two punch of tryptophan—both nondairy cheese made from soy, nuts, or oats and crackers provide a good dose of it.

10. Hummus

Chickpeas are rich in vitamin B₆, which helps the body produce melatonin. Dipping veggies or whole-wheat crackers in hummus hits hard at any time of day, but the vitamin B₆ boost makes it a certified bedtime classic. 👌

11. Leafy greens

Spinach and kale are loaded with calcium, which helps your body build melatonin. Make sure your diet is rich in leafy greens so you can spend less time counting sheep at night and more time advocating for sheep in the wool industry.

12. Sleepy girl mocktail

You can make the TikTok “sleepy girl mocktail” with tart cherry juice, sparkling water, and magnesium powder. The cherry juice and magnesium powder are 🔥 sleep aids. (But note that it’s always best to consult with your doctor before taking supplements like magnesium powder.)

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Besides getting a good night’s sleep, be sure to get enough protein to propel you through each day. These tasty vegan foods pack a powerful protein punch and don’t subject animals to miserable lives and deaths: