Evening snacks that help you sleep

While it's true that gorging three hours or less before heading off to bed can cause heartburn and keep you up, a light bedtime snack can often help you get more shut-eye. What to try: foods that contain tryptophan — an amino acid with sleep-inducing properties — such as turkey, bananas, yogurt, eggs, meat, nuts, beans, fish, and cheese. "Warm beverages can also help get you ready for sleep and ease you into a relaxed state, provided they don't contain caffeine," says Nicole Britvan, a dietitian at Kaiser Permanente Outpatient Nutrition Clinic in San Francisco. Try warm milk (another food containing tryptophan) — a long-standing nighttime remedy.