“What Foods Boost Energy and Improve Sleep?”

 A sleep expert answers your questions.

A 31-year-old gardener wonders what she should be eating in the day to improve her sleep at night.

A little about me:

Age: 31

Occupation: gardener

Number of hours sleep you get each night: 6 hours

Number of hours sleep you wish you got each night: 8-9 hours

Any officially diagnosed sleep-related problems: no

How much water you drink on average per day: 1 litre (not enough)

How much exercise I do on average per week: 1 cardio workout a week, plus the manual labour of my day-to-day job

Day 1

I went to bed late last night (around 11.30pm) and I get up late today as a result; my alarm goes off at 5am but I sleep through until 5.40am, and barely have time for a few mouthfuls of coffee before I’m out the door. Thankfully, I manage to stop at Costa on the way for a flat white and a pastry.

I get to work around 7am, have a cup of tea, and then get to work. I forgot to pack lunch, so I make do with some biscuits, then carry on until 4pm, drinking tea all the way.

I’m home by 5.30pm, snack and chill out watching TV for a bit, and then go for a run. I eat a little dinner of eggs on toast afterwards, and then I hop in the shower before bed at 10.30pm and fall asleep immediately. 

Day 2

I wake up to my alarm at 5.30am, and go downstairs for coffee and toast. I make a peanut butter sandwich for work, grab a few snacks (including an apple and some chocolate biscuits), and head in.

It’s another busy day and I am on my feet for almost all of it, so when I get home at 5ish I just want to crash.

I have a shower, change into my PJs, and have dinner (veggie chilli with rice), before settling down to do some painting. I head up to bed around 10.30pm again and crash out as soon as my audiobook starts playing.

Day 3

It’s my last super early start, so I try and make sure I’m up with my alarm at 5.30am. I feel exhausted. Again, I grab some tea and toast, before heading out the door to work (with some biscuits and leftover dinner in a microwaveable dish, which I heat up for lunch). 

 It’s a blazing hot day and when I come home I feel sick because of it, so I try to drink lots of water and tea, and have a cold shower before dinner: it’s just some cheese and tomato pasta today.

Again, I do some painting until bed at 10.30pm, where I crash out as before.

Day 4

I wake up at 7am today, which counts as a lie-in (but I’m still so tired), and head downstairs to sit in the garden for a bit with my breakfast.

After I’ve eaten, I drink some tea, make another peanut butter sandwich (there’s no microwave at work today), and head out to work. 

 It’s another hot day, so I try to remember to drink water when I can. I get home around 5pm, have a cold shower, and eat a quick dinner of Quorn chicken nuggets, beans, and fries.

Then, I meet some friends for a catchup, and end up heading to bed later than normal – around 11.30pm? As always, I fall asleep as soon as the light is off and stay that way until morning.

Day 5

It should be my last working day, but I know I’ve got to go in tomorrow, so I don’t feel that usual Friday release when my alarm goes off at 7am. I get up, head to the bathroom to wash up, then go downstairs for a few pancakes with syrup. I wash it down with tea, make myself another tea for the road (and a flask of water), then head out for the day – it’s one of my longest of the week, as I don’t finish until after 6pm.

When I get home, I have a shower, then sit down to a takeaway (Friday treat!) and watch TV for a bit. I’m in bed by 11.30pm again, even though I’m tired, as I wanted to make the most of the evening. I fall asleep before the light is even off this time, and sleep through until my alarm at 7am. Ugh.