Eating to improve sleep

'If only I could sleep better and get a little relief' is one of the most commonly uttered sentiments I hear from my patients undergoing cancer treatment. If it's not worry about their health and questions about treatment popping into their heads when the rest of the country is asleep, it can be the stimulating effects of steroids given to ease sickness, or pain and discomfort, which so often feels worse at night. Sleep deprivation can make dealing with the daytime symptoms of living with cancer much worse, with pain more difficult to get on top of and moods taking a real hit if our body doesn't get enough rest. Sometimes prescription sleeping tablets may be necessary, but over years of caring for many patients living with cancer (and in my own life, when serious illness has caused me distress), I've found that looking at the way we eat and what we eat can help give us a better chance of a few restorative hours of slumber.

Poor sleeping habits can become habitual and, like most habits, it can take a while to rewrite the script that plays in our head. Eating well (more about that later) and establishing a relaxing routine around bedtime can help. A warm bath with a calming essential oil such as lavender, or if bathing isn't possible, a foot soak in a bowl of lavender-scented water, can be enough to persuade the body to wind down, ready for rest. I love a mug of lavender milk, made with the lavender I've harvested from the garden, which you can make with cow's milk or a non-dairy alternative. Vary the amount of honey you add, depending on your sweet tooth - I like to use lavender honey when I have it in the cupboard.

Try these other tips to help you nod off and get the rest you need to heal and recover well. Also, have a look at Macmillan's information for other tips to help you sleep better.

• Fluctuating blood sugar levels may disrupt sleep patterns. Try to eat regular, smaller meals, and focus on dishes that contain a balance of wholegrain carbohydrates, protein and fats for sustained energy release. A bowl of fruit and seed-topped porridge for breakfast, a wholemeal bread sandwich with lean meat, hummus or egg mayonnaise for lunch, and a carb-rich evening meal would be a great start.
• A starchy evening meal, containing rice, pasta, potatoes or bread, can promote a good night's sleep, as they seem to elicit the sleepy response. You could try my spelt and goat's cheese risotto, or a simple pasta with tomato sauce and Parmesan, or fish pie topped with a broccoli mash.
• Avoid spicy foods, which some people find energising and which can irritate the gut.
• Watch your caffeine consumption. You may find that switching to a fruit or herbal infusion after 4pm can help you unwind. Calming teas include chamomile, bergamot, and lemon balm. Before bed, switch to more traditionally sedative brews such as blue vervain, valerian, and hops. Check with your healthcare team about taking any herbal remedies to help you sleep as some may interact with medicines you might be taking.
• Milky drinks, whether that's a glass of warm or ice-cold fresh milk, or my lavender infusion, are also fantastically soporific, not least because they can remind us of our treasured childhood wind-down routine.

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