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How Does Food Influence Sleep? (And Why You Can’t Treat Your Body Like an ATM)
- chevy mermelstein
- Aug 7
- 4 min read
A client of mine, Chaya, is a single 28-year-old who was juggling two teaching jobs, studying for her BA at night, and volunteering at a children’s hospital three afternoons a week—plus all her other commitments. She came to me completely exhausted.
She noticed she was slowly gaining weight—just a pound here, a pound there—and felt like she was losing herself. She wasn’t eating well. Her mornings began with a giant bowl of Fruity Pebbles because it was quick. She’d often grab a slice of pizza on her way to her second job and scarf down chips from the hospital canteen during her afternoon shift.
There wasn’t time—or energy—for planning. She was just trying to get through the day.
When I asked about her sleep, she laughed and said, “I get about 5 to 6 hours a night during the week, and then on the weekend, I binge sleep—like 15 to 18 hours!”
Her pattern was clear. She was trying to withdraw energy from a body she never deposited into. It’s like treating your body like an ATM—pulling out what you need, assuming you’ll make up for it later. But that’s not how bodies—or sleep—work.
We can’t just binge sleep on the weekends and expect our body to be okay. Sleep is more like nutrition. You need consistency. You need real fuel. You need to stop running on empty and hoping for miracles.
And food plays a big role in all of this. What you eat affects how you feel. It affects your blood sugar, hormones, stress, and—yes—your sleep.
So, how exactly does food influence sleep?
Let’s get one thing straight: your body is not separate compartments of systems. Everything is connected. What you eat during the day affects how you feel at night.
Too much sugar and refined carbs can lead to blood sugar crashes, leaving you restless or waking in the middle of the night. Not eating enough during the day can leave you starving at bedtime. Eating too heavily too close to bedtime can make you feel sluggish, bloated, or even wired.
And when you're exhausted from poor sleep, what does your body crave the next day? Easy, fast energy. Sugar. Caffeine. Carbs.
It becomes a vicious cycle: poor sleep leads to poor food choices, which leads to worse sleep. But the good news? It can be reversed with small, consistent shifts.
Here are some practical, compassionate tips to help you eat in a way that supports your sleep—without needing to overhaul your entire life:
1. Sleep starts in the morning.
Most people think sleep is just a nighttime thing. But how we treat our morning matters. What we eat, how we move, whether we see natural sunlight—it all sets the tone for how well we’ll sleep at night. A nutritious breakfast, movement, and hydration go a long way in regulating energy and hormones.
2. Watch the nighttime sugar hits.
It’s common to reach for wine, ice cream, or chocolate once the day is finally over. Sugar can feel like a reward. But sugar before bed can spike and crash your blood sugar levels, leaving you wired, anxious, or tossing and turning. Don’t panic—you don’t need to go sugar-free. Just start noticing how much, when, and why you’re eating it. You can always cut back slowly.
3. Prep easy fruits and veggies.
When you're tired, willpower is low. That’s when chips and cookies win. But if there’s sliced cucumber, baby carrots, or berries already in the fridge, you’re more likely to reach for them. Don’t wait until you’re starving to think about food. Set yourself up for success ahead of time.
4. Add protein to meals and snacks.
Protein helps regulate blood sugar and energy—two things that impact your sleep more than you’d think. Nuts, hard-boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, roasted chickpeas—keep them on hand and ready to go. Balanced meals help you feel satisfied and calm throughout the day and night.
5. Plan a little. Not perfectly. Just a little.
You don’t need to meal prep every bite. But you do need to have a loose plan. What’s for dinner? Do I have something to grab for lunch tomorrow? Even small intentions help you stay grounded. Fast doesn’t have to mean junk. Fuel your body like you actually want to sleep well tonight.
Food doesn’t need to be perfect. But the more you eat with awareness and consistency, the more you’ll start to notice your sleep—and your energy—level out.
Just like Chaya did. She didn’t overhaul her whole life overnight. But she slowly started adding in real meals. She cut back on sugar late at night. She stopped binge sleeping on weekends. Her body started to trust her again.
So, how does food influence sleep? More than we think.
If this feels overwhelming, that’s okay. Start with one change.
If you just want to talk and get some clarity, please book a complimentary call here: https://calendly.com/chevymermelstein/30min
And to read more about this, check out this blog:
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