Weird reason you should eat pineapple before bed

Plus other sweet tips and tricks

Yet another reason to add this delicious fruit to your cart. Image: iStock

Pineapple has long been one of our favourite tropical fruits, curtsey of its tangy sweet taste and versatility (salsa, anyone?). Now, the trend gods of TikTok have spoken, declaring the fruit the key to unlocking a perfect night's sleep. 

There’s nothing more important than a good night’s sleep, but in today’s buzzing world, finding forty winks is no easy feat. And as the latest trend TikTok emphasises, what we do to prepare ourselves for bed (no matter how juicy) can make a world of difference to our quality of sleep. 

Enter pineapple. The tropical fruit is making waves across the video platform for more than just its delicious taste. Full of antioxidants and nutritional value, pineapples have long been endorsed by experts as a healthy treat. Now, the trending TikTok hashtag #PineappleHacks (amassing over 3.7 million views) is boasting the fruit’s slumber-inducing abilities. 

“Pineapple is one of the foods which has a reasonable level of natural melatonin,” sleep coach Dave Gibson shares with the New York Post, revealing the sleep hormone can indeed be found in a variety of common foods.

But if snacking on the yellow fruit isn’t up your alley, there are plenty of other ways to ensure a sweet slumber. According to Hayley Worley, founder of Sheet Society, the secret to a long and lasting night’s sleep is all in the preparation. 

Worley has three bedroom essential for a perfect sleep:

#1. Warm lighting 

“I love to use lamps to create mood lighting an hour or so before bedtime. A slightly darker, warmer light helps to trigger your body to release melatonin so we’re already on our way to falling asleep before we actually jump into bed.”

#2. Natural Fibres

“Your body does a lot of work in regulating your body temperature throughout the night, and the best thing you can do to support it in doing its thing is to sleep in natural fibres, which are naturally thermoregulating so that your body can breathe. If you've ever felt that stuffy feeling in the middle of the night, chances are you're sleeping in polyester or man-made fibres.”

A clean, calm and visually appealing space can make a world of difference to your sleep. Image: Supplied

#3. Calming colours

“I believe that good sheets, in colours and styles that feel distinctly you, work wonders in making your bed feel like your own sanctuary.”

In addition to ensuring we mindfully set up our sleep space, the bedding expert says avoiding certain things can be just as effective. 

“White light is a big one to avoid, especially with us spending so much more time on our screens,” Worley shares. “Either switch your phone to 'night mode' which emits a warmer light, or put down your phone at least half an hour before bed.” 

To encourage the natural production and flow of melatonin an hour before bedtime, the founder also switches off all the white lights in her house, instead relying on warmer lighting (such as lamps) that better mimics the visual effect of the sun setting.

Using warmer toned lighting can trick your body into naturally producing more melatonin. Image: iStock

With half the country feeling somewhat scattered this week thanks to the onset of daylight savings, Worley says it’s important to allow your body time to naturally adjust. 

“Daylight savings is always a tricky time, especially with our two little kids!” says Worley. “We try to give ourselves around a week to fully adjust before being strict with wake-ups and bedtime.”

Lastly, though we’ve seen a bunch of bedding trends come and go over the years, Worley says the ‘perfect bedding’ depends entirely on what fabrics work for you. 

“Go with linen to keep things light and breathable, cotton for every day and bamboo if you're after something cooling, comfy and weightless,” explains the bedding expert. As for which is best, it really depends on the sleeper.”

Offering breathable, hypoallergenic, and buttery-soft bedding, The Sleep Society’s new bamboo range gives beauty sleep a whole new meaning. Browse the latest launch here.

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Originally published as Weird reason you should eat pineapple before bed