Eating this fruit before bed can help you sleep better – but expert opinions are divided

In the quest for better sleep, I have tried plenty of sleep hacks, from the military method to the Sleepy Girl mocktail. Most of the sleep hacks I’ve found have come from everyone’s favourite social media site, TikTok – but this latest viral TikTok sleep hack has experts divided on whether it actually works or not.

Tiktok sleep hacks are insanely popular but they do vary in effectiveness. One thing that is widely agreed upon by sleep experts is that eating or drinking certain foods can help you sleep better – see these 8 foods to eat for a good night’s sleep and 4 to avoid for more details.

But the latest fruit that’s being recommended for good sleep has split opinions. So what is it? And can it actually help you sleep?

P.S. A surefire way to get a good night’s sleep is by upgrading to the best mattress.

What is the TikTok avocado sleep hack?

The fruit in question is the (not so) humble avocado – and before you say anything, yes, an avocado is a fruit, not a vegetable. In a TikTok video from user shredded_sages, he shared that eating an avocado before bed helps him sleep. His reason for this is because avocados are rich in magnesium which can help you fall asleep quickly and sleep more deeply.

Can eating a whole avocado for bed help you sleep better? The answer is yes and no. Avocado is regarded as a superfood, as it’s packed with many different vitamins and minerals which can lead to great health benefits, including regulating blood pressure, reducing cholesterol, improving digestion and protecting the eyes. Avocados have also been found to help with sleep, although the results do vary.

As reported by Sleepopolis, a study funded by the Hass Avocado Board asked 500 people to eat an avocado every day for six months, while another 500 people followed their normal diet and were limited to eating two avocados a month. The results found that those who ate an avocado daily saw higher sleep quality scores than those who didn’t.

@shredded_sages

♬ original sound - ShreddedSages

Alongside these fairly impressive results, bedding experts from Saatva stated that the magnesium and potassium within avocados are associated with better sleep and can help you feel relaxed, while improving your sleep quality and ability to fall asleep. But while this is all pretty positive, how about the negatives?

According to Rex Isap, sleep expert at Happy Beds, he notes that the hack isn’t necessarily wrong but it’s highly unlikely to have that much of a dramatic effect. “It can take up to six weeks of regular magnesium intake to see a notable difference in your sleep… to see an actual difference in your sleep, you would need to eat avocados consistently for a number of months.”

So, while avocados have been linked to improved sleep, it’s going to take a lot of consistently eating one every night for several weeks for you to notice a difference. Instead, it’s best to stick to your normal sleep schedule and practice the rules of good sleep hygiene.