If you want a normal night's sleep eat food high in sugar, according to researchers in Australia who looked at the effects of diet on sleep.
New Scientist reported today that when Ahmad Afaghi of Sydney University gave men a meal with a relatively high glycaemic index - indicating how quickly it causes blood sugar to rise - they took an average of nine minutes to fall asleep.
Those who ate a low GI meal took 17 minutes and 30 seconds. It is thought that, since high GI foods raise blood sugar levels, they raise the blood concentration of tryptophan, a chemical that induces sleep.
