Sleep and Apples?

Recently, I had some neighbors over at the house. 

It’s nice to be seeing people again.

As one of our friends walked through the kitchen, she commented on the big bowl of fruit on the counter. 

In fairness, it is a BIG bowl. And it’s filled with all kinds of good stuff, which varies with the season.

I put a lot of stock in the notion that if you keep things that are healthy where you can see them, and within arm’s reach, you’ll grab something good for you when you’re searching for a snack.

Instead of choosing something junky.

But something she said stuck with me, and I had to look into it.

“Good for you, look at all those apples. They can help you sleep better.”

At the time I nodded and the conversation moved on. But I couldn’t help wondering… is that really true? 

I mean, in the general sense, sure. The healthier you eat, the better your body performs. And the easier it is to find energy in the day, and sound sleep at night.

But is there anything specific about apples that can help you sleep better? 

The truth is, not particularly.

Yes, you can find traces of melatonin in apples. I mean, a wee bit. 

And since the recommended amount of melatonin for sleep is 1-2 mg, you’d need to eat 200 apples to get it. 

The news is a little better when it comes to vitamin C. Those with higher levels of C sleep better. And you’d get a maybe 10% of the recommended daily allowance of C in an apple. 

So not particularly impactful, but still good for you. 

The bottom line is, apples contain a host of healthy things. Potassium, vitamin C, antioxidants, fiber. If you want to eat an apple, it’s a good choice at almost any time of day. 

Eating an apple is better than going to bed hungry. 

There’s nothing in there that would make sleep more difficult. 

Still, there are plenty of natural choices that can make sleep easier, if that’s your concern. 

I do recommend the big fruit bowl though. 

Because knowing you’re doing your body good each and every day will help you sleep better at night too.