Everyone knows that caffeine, chocolate, and heavy meals can affect sleep. The same goes for alcohol, pork, and sugary treats. Some foods stimulate the brain and can disrupt sleep. Others place high demands on your digestive system and cause heartburn. Ideally, dinner should consist of lean meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, and other foods that soothe your tummy and promote a good night’s sleep.
Worst Foods You Can Eat Before Bedtime
What you eat before bedtime has a major impact on your sleep. Many foods and drinks that are otherwise healthy can keep you awake at night. If you’re highly sensitive to caffeine, avoid tea, dark chocolate, and caffeinated beverages.
Pizza and junk food are high in fats, which may cause indigestion and ruin your sleep. Pretzels, ice cream, and cookies contain white flour and sugar, triggering insulin spikes. This can disrupt healthy sleep patterns and lead to weight gain. Make sure you also avoid sugary cereals, spicy foods, burgers, and soda.
Eat Right, Sleep Tight
Some foods increase the production of serotonin and melatonin, the most important sleep inducing brain chemicals. Others are rich in tryptophan, an amino acid with mild sedative effects. When picking a late-night treat, opt for milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, almonds, or cherries. If you’re really hungry, make a sandwich with turkey breast or have some chicken with leafy greens.
Many herbal teas are caffeine free and have sedative effects. If you have trouble sleeping, drink a cup of lemon balm tea, passionflower tea, hop tea, or valerian tea. Green tea contains theophylline, theobromine, and caffeine, which may cause irregular heart beat and restlessness. Thus, it’s better to avoid it before bedtime. Alcohol may seem like a good choice, but it actually disrupts the body’s natural rhythms and affects the quality of sleep. A glass of warm milk with or without honey will help you sleep better and wake up refreshed.
