Many of us need more sleep, which makes it tempting to try a quick fix, like drinking a glass of warm milk, sipping the Sleepy Girl Mocktail, or eating baby carrots before bed.

Eating seven baby carrots is the latest sleep hack to go viral on social media. While baby carrots can support good digestion and cell function, experts say this trend is unlikely to improve your sleep.

Does Eating 7 Baby Carrots Before Bed Improve Sleep?

There’s no science showing that eating seven carrots before bed can help you sleep better, according to Debbie Petitpain, MBA, RDN, a Charleston-based registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Eating seven carrots won’t trigger a “quick physiological response” when you go to bed, Petitpain said.

However, including carrots in a balanced diet could indirectly boost sleep quality. A recent study found that people who ate more fruits and vegetables during the day slept better at night.

“If people want better sleep, the evidence is much stronger for building healthy eating patterns overall rather than relying on one specific food,” Petitpain said.

Why Carrots Get Linked to Better Sleep

Still, some people claim that certain nutrients in carrots could improve sleep. Carrots contain antioxidant plant compounds called carotenoids, specifically alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, which our bodies convert into vitamin A. People with a vitamin A deficiency may experience sleep disturbances.

However, it is rare for people in the U.S. to have a vitamin A deficiency since this nutrient is available in many different types of food. Once you meet your vitamin A needs, consuming extra beta-carotene won’t improve sleep, Petitpain said.

“While correcting deficiency can support normal biological function, it doesn’t translate into ‘more carrots equals better sleep,'” Petitpain added.

Fiber May Actually Support Sleep

Adding carrots to a balanced diet may also contribute to better sleep because they’re rich in fiber. A 2016 study found a link between fiber-rich diets and deeper, more restorative sleep.

Seven baby carrots have about 3 grams of fiber. Since most people in the United States don’t get enough fiber, eating more carrots is a good place to start.

While a few baby carrots likely won’t hurt your stomach, don’t overdo it. Eating too many high-fiber foods too quickly could lead to indigestion or stomach pain.

Should You Eat Before Bed Though?

Carrots aside, what you eat before bed can influence how well you sleep. Eating a large, heavy meal before bed can disrupt sleep quality, but having a light evening snack is unlikely to affect your sleep.

A light evening snack also prevents you from going to bed hungry, which would worsen sleep quality, Thomas Michael Kilkenny, DO, director of the Institute of Sleep Medicine at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, told Verywell in an email. 

But don’t expect carrots to act as a natural sleep aid.

“Unfortunately, there is no cause-and-effect documentation that confirms that a specific diet will dramatically improve one’s sleep quality. In general, a healthy lifestyle with a healthy diet and exercise, and following the sleep hygiene rules, is the best formula for good sleep quality,” he added.