Of all the health benefits we have been led to understand about avocados – from being a healthy fat to a food that is good for your heart – sleep is not one that necessarily jumps to mind.

However, the results from a 2025 study has led scientists to suggest that eating one avocado per day may help improve sleep. According to the study, which involved 1,000 adults and was led by scientists at Penn State University and funded by The Avocado Nutrition Center, avocados can help promote sleep.

Whilst the study didn’t set out to explore how the two work together – and in fact was to do with how avocados help with cardiovascular health – the results showed up the unexpected finding. In a nutshell, it revealed that eating one avocado every day for six months led to modest but statistically significant improvements in participants’ sleep health scores.

While the scientists involved in the study could not say for sure why avocados may play a role in better sleep – particularly because it wasn’t something they had set out to explore – nutritionists and dieticians believe that the avocado properties such as magnesium, fibre and unsaturated fats may play a role.

Promising connection

According to Dr Federica Amati, Head Nutritionist at ZOE, and Sunday Times best-selling author of The Appetite Reset: How to Eat, Drink and Thrive Before, During and After GLP-1s:  “Avocados are an exceptionally nutrient-dense food, packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, potassium, and rich fibre that supports a thriving gut microbiome.

“When it comes to sleep, the recent research highlights a promising connection between diet and sleep quality overall. Avocados provide magnesium and folate, which support muscle relaxation and the body’s natural melatonin production, while their combination of healthy fats and fibre helps maintain steady blood sugar levels.

“While there is no single food that is a miracle cure for insomnia, adding avocado to your diet supports the metabolic and biological conditions needed for nourishment and rest.”

It is the magnesium in the avocado that dietician Christa Brown https://christabrowndietitian.com/ also believes is the main reason the fruit can help with sleep,

“Avocados contain magnesium which may support the body’s natural sleep processes by regulating GABA (short for Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid), the brain’s main calming neurotransmitter. In one medium avocado, it meets 10% of the recommended daily allowance.

“It’s also a good source of potassium which helps with any muscle cramping and can support a restful night’s sleep.

“Lastly, it contains a tiny amount of tryptophan that helps to develop the hormone melatonin. However, it’s not a lot but worth noting.”

Timing is (almost) everything

As for when to eat your avocado, no actual time has been scientifically reported but Dr Sarah Schenker suggests eating it later on in the day may help.

“An evening meal or snack before bed that includes avocado will help keep blood sugar levels stable but the vitamins and minerals do not have an instant effect, it’s more about building up adequate levels in the body over time, which will eventually result in improved sleep.

“Avocados contain nutrients that are important for good sleep. They are not sleep aids themselves.  They are a good source of magnesium which has been linked to healthy sleep. Poor magnesium intake is associated with poor sleep. They also provide vitamin B6 which is needed for the production of hormones that regulate sleep: serotonin and melatonin.

“Since they are rich in healthy fats they can help regulate blood sugar levels and prevent spikes that would disrupt sleep.” I’m off to ‘avo’ try tonight!