Improve sleep by eating right

Why caffeine, spicy foods, and alcohol make poor bedfellows.

When it comes to your ability to get a good night's sleep, your diet may play a role. Go to bed hungry, and you'll likely have trouble falling asleep. Eat a large meal, and afterward you may feel like dozing off. "There's proof that stomach distention makes you sleepy after a meal, although it's a mild effect and it's not influenced by particular foods," says sleep expert Dr. Lawrence Epstein, an instructor at Harvard Medical School.