Best and Worst Foods for Sleep: Dr. Barnard’s Science-Backed Rules
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Physicians Committee
4.9 • 3.3K Ratings
🗓️ 3 July 2025
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
New research reveals that what you eat during the day directly impacts how well you sleep at night — and it’s not what you think.
Dr. Neal Barnard breaks down a new study showing that fruits, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates can significantly improve sleep quality, while high-protein diets, red meat, and even that “harmless” evening glass of wine may leave you feeling exhausted.
In this episode of The Exam Room with Chuck Carroll, you’ll learn:
- The best foods for a good night's sleep
- The top foods for natural melatonin production
- What NOT to eat before bed (including some surprising ones)
- Dr. Barnard’s 5 research-backed rules for better sleep
- Whether sugar is really the enemy of a good night’s sleep
This episode is sponsored by The Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund, which supports organizations like the Physicians Committee that carry on Greg’s passion and love for animals through rescue efforts, veganism, and wildlife conservation.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, it's your friend Chuck with two very important questions. Number one, how would you like |
| 0:06.0 | to save a life? And number two, how would you like to change the world? Well, right now through |
| 0:13.0 | July 10th, all gifts supporting our work here at the Physicians Committee will automatically |
| 0:17.9 | be doubled, dollar for dollar, up to $500,000, and every one of those |
| 0:23.7 | dollars goes directly to support groundbreaking, animal-free clinical research that proves |
| 0:29.9 | that a plant-based diet can reverse chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis |
| 0:35.6 | without harming a single animal. |
| 0:38.8 | That is life-saving and world-changing. |
| 0:43.1 | And again, your donations will be matched dollar for dollar through July 10th. |
| 0:47.5 | So please give what you can to help us build a healthier, more compassionate future for us all. |
| 0:52.7 | Head to pcrm.org slash match or click the |
| 0:56.2 | link in the episode notes today on the exam room what nutrients did this study show |
| 1:05.8 | were really critical for getting that good night sleep foods that are rich in |
| 1:09.1 | carbohydrate do tend to promote sleep. |
| 1:11.6 | And when I say promote sleep, I mean you lie down and your sleep on set. |
| 1:15.6 | How long does it take for you to nod off? |
| 1:17.6 | Much quicker if you've had carbohydrate earlier in the day. |
| 1:21.6 | And then on the negative side, the bad guy was protein. |
| 1:26.6 | When people have too much protein in their diet, you can't go to sleep. |
| 1:34.6 | Welcome to the exam room podcast, brought to you by the Physicians Committee. |
| 1:38.8 | Hi, I'm the weight loss champion Chuck Carroll, raising health IQs coast to coast and around the world. Hi to the exam |
| 1:46.1 | room he's listening in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Midland, Texas, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Wherever |
... |
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