Science Says Kiwis Can Improve Your Sleep, So I Tried It To Find Out

This year, I’ll be trying sleeping tricks to see whether they actually improve my insomnia. Check back in on this series, Rest Assured, to see how I get on.

I have insomnia – specifically, sleep maintenance insomnia. That means that even though I don’t struggle to nod off, I very rarely sleep throughout the night.

And while I have received some amazing advice to help me manage the condition, I still struggle to get more than five to six hours’ kip.

So, this year, I’ve decided to try everything I can to combat the condition in a series called Rest Assured. And this week, that took the form of, well, eating some kiwis. 

Why might kiwis help with sleep? 

It sounds a little out of left field, I know. But some studies say the fruit really might support a great night’s sleep. 

A 2023 study, for instance, found that participants who consumed two kiwis a day an hour before bed reported better slumber. 

This, the researchers said, may be because the fruit contains melatonin, which helps to regulate our sleep-wake cycle. 

A 2011 study also found that people with sleep problems enjoyed better sleep efficiency and duration and found it easier to fall asleep after eating two kiwis a day, an hour before bed, for four weeks. 

Worth a try, I thought. 

So... how did it go? 

I’ve been trying the addition for the past week, though I don’t eat the kiwis on their own – I’ve been having them as a dessert fruit salad with apples, which may trigger melatonin production, and melon, which might also boost the hormone.

Sometimes, I swap those for pineapple and blueberries, which are also possible sleep boosters.

Though I’ve stopped wearing a fitness tracker to bed, I do record my 3am wake-ups and note whether or not I fell back to sleep the following day. 

I have an average of 4.8 3am wake-ups a week, usually, and fall back asleep about a quarter of those times. 

But in the last week, I woke up at 3am three times and fell back to sleep once. 

That’s a pretty great improvement – and while I can’t definitely prove it was down to the kiwis (it could also be a result of my return to work, and a notable lack of Ferrero Rocher and prosecco), I was pleasantly surprised by the association.

If nothing else, I’m really enjoying the refreshing fruit, and plan to keep eating it.

What if I hate kiwis? 

That’s OK! It’s not the only fruit, or indeed food, which has been linked to better sleep. 

Cherries, bananas, papaya, and the aforementioned apples, pineapple, and melon either contain or can help produce melatonin.

Oats, yoghurt, milk, dates, eggs, peanuts, and passionflower tea could be useful too.