The food plan to help insomniacs sleep well

This meal plan could help you have a better night sleep. Photo / Getty

If you struggle to get to sleep, or always wake up in the middle of the night, then it may be your diet that's preventing you from having a decent shut-eye.

That's according to a renowned food scientist, who has helped create the ultimate menu for the perfect night's sleep, reports the Daily Mail.

Based on university research and scientific evidence, Dr Rachel Edwards-Stuart worked with registered nutritionist Lily Soutter to create a three-course dinner that will help you snooze peacefully by nightfall.

Edwards-Stuart, who researched flavours and textures for a PhD sponsored by Heston Blumenthal at the University of Nottingham, and Soutter created the menu scientifically in a laboratory owned by mattress company SIMBA Sleep.

They first analysed some ingredients to select those which have been known to promote sleep.

The first ingredient chosen was kiwifruit, as researchers at Taiwan's Taipei Medical University found that eating kiwifruit on a daily basis helped improve the quality and quantity of sleep in a recent study due to the fruit's high antioxidant levels and high seretonin levels.

They then picked chicken, because experts have found that the bird is one of the best sources of tryptophan, a building block of sleep hormone melatonin.

Walnuts were also included on the menu, as researchers from the University of Texas found that the nuts contain melatonin as well.

Edwards-Stuart and Soutter then found complementary ingredients to pair these foods with, that would not reduce sleep-enhancing properties.

They used science to pair up ingredients based on shared aroma profiles.

This included pairing kiwifruit with omega-3 fatty acid-rich mackerel for the starter, as Oxford University research has shown that omega 3 fat could stimulate the release of sleep hormone melatonin.

They also included spinach and olives in the starter dish as both share aroma compounds with kiwifruit. Spinach is also high in magnesium and research has shown that levels of this mineral fall and rise in correlation with people's 24-hour sleep and wake cycle.

With the main course, they chose magnesium-rich pumpkin seeds to pair with the chicken, as well as sweet potato, a source of tryptophan.

For the dessert, Edwards-Stuart and Soutter wanted to keep the sugar levels in the sweet treat low as sugar can disrupt sleep.

Therefore they chose honey to sweeten the dessert as it has a lower glycaemic load in comparison to regular sugar and won't make blood sugar levels spike.

They also paired melon and apple juice with the walnuts because they are both good sources of fibre, which can slow the release at which sugar enters the bloodstream and can keep levels stable through the night.

Soutter said: "Although many of us understand the importance of nutrition during the day, few of us are aware that certain foods could be sabotaging our sleep.

"Whilst the process to develop the SIMBA Dream Food menu has been meticulous, we have taken care to ensure that these recipes are simple enough to replicate or inspire your meal choices at home."