Poor sleep is one of the most common concerns I hear from patients — and it’s something millions of us already track with wearables. We try to improve our sleep with less screen time, less alcohol, and even high-tech Eight Sleep or Chilipad by Sleepme cooling pads.
When that doesn’t work, the next step is usually supplements: Magnesium threonate or glycinate, melatonin tablets, valerian root chamomile tea, and so on. Most people stop at supplements trying to avoid prescription drugs.
But here’s the irony: many health-conscious wearable users distrust Big Pharma and won’t touch a sleep medication — yet they turn freely to supplements. Podcast Docs Peter Attia and Andrew Huberman talk about them all the time. Are those really safer, more effective or just marketed better?
What if we could sleep better with FOOD instead? That idea became a little less theoretical thanks to a recent randomized trial.
Walnuts and Sleep: A Randomized Study
In this study, adults who consumed about 8–10 whole walnuts for eight weeks experienced:
Faster sleep onset
Higher evening melatonin metabolite levels
Improved overall sleep quality
Decreased daytime sleepiness
From Supplement Stack to Food Stack
Foods naturally deliver melatonin, magnesium, and tryptophan — the same compounds often found in capsules — but with the added benefit of synergy and balance. Combine these foods and you have a natural Food Sleep Stack
Melatonin-rich foods: pistachios, walnuts, tart cherries, kiwi
Magnesium-rich foods: almonds, pumpkin seeds, bananas, oats
Tryptophan/serotonin precursors: bananas, pumpkin seeds, oats, kiwi
Customers already track their rest with ŌURA WHOOP, GarminWearables, Fitbit (now part of Google) or Apple Watch.
Imagine if that data could show real-world improvements tied to specific foods.
Closing Thought
As physicians, we’ve long said food is medicine. But for it to be medicine, it must be proven. Walnuts gave us one example. With wearables, we can validate many more and help people finally sleep better. FYI. See chart below on why you should be cracking the Pistachios.
Comment your go-to food or supplement routine for sleep — it might be the next one we test.
References
María Fernanda Zerón Rugerio Aradeisy Ibarra Picón Maria D. Oriol Comas Basté Francisco José Pérez Cano Trinitat Cambras Maria, Izquierdo-Pulido Daily. Daily walnut consumption increases 6-sulfatoxymelatonin urinary levels and can improve sleep quality: a randomized crossover trial. Food Funct., 2025, Advance Article