Is a hard boiled egg the best bedtime snack? Nick Bitz, ND, naturopathic doctor and chief scientific author at YouTheory, makes a strong case for eating an egg (boiled, poached, or sunny-side up) when the moon is high in the sky. Eating an egg as a source of protein before bed could help you sleep better, he says.

“I’ve found that if you eat a little bit of protein at night before you got to sleep—maybe about 6 grams of protein, which is the equivalent of an egg—it gives you a nice blood-sugar balance through most of the night,” said Dr. Bitz at the most recent Well+Good TALK in New York City. Women are particularly susceptible to glucose dysregulation, he explained. In response, the body produces cortisol (the stress hormone), which can wake you up.

“I’ve found that if you eat a little bit of protein at night before you got to sleep… it gives you a nice blood-sugar balance through most of the night” —Nick Bitz, ND

Just 6 grams of protein can set you up to sleep through the night, but if you’re not too keen on scrambled eggs after dark, you can snack in other forms. A handful of cashews, a large scoop of Greek yogurt, or 1/2 cup of roasted chickpeas does the trick as a bedtime snack with a serving of protein. With any luck, a little protein before bed will help you sleep all night long.

Eggs are nature’s multivitamin: 

Hey, are you out of breakfast ideas? Here are 4 healthy options a dietitian recommends, and the verdict on whether or not a protein shake can set you up for a productive day ahead.