We’ve all been there — it’s late at night, and you’re feeling a bit peckish, so you grab a quick snack before hitting the hay. But did you know some foods can seriously mess with your sleep if you eat them too close to bedtime? If you want to avoid tossing and turning all night, steer clear of these 7 foods before bed:
Coffee, Tea, and Dark Chocolate
This one’s a no-brainer. The caffeine in coffee, tea, and chocolate (the darker the chocolate, the more caffeine it contains) is a powerful stimulant that can keep you awake for hours. Now if herbal tea, milk chocolate, or decaf tea and coffee are more your speed, they might just work in your favor. In fact, herbal tea is known to have calming and soothing properties — perfect for a blissful sleep.
Spicy Foods
That fiery curry or salsa might have tasted great at dinner, but eating it before bed is a recipe for a restless night. Spicy foods can cause indigestion, acid reflux, and heartburn, making it harder to fall asleep and potentially waking you up in pain later. Another reason to avoid spicy foods is because eating them increases your body temperature, which isn’t ideal when trying to get some shut-eye. There’s a reason why some places with cold climates, like South Korea and Northwest China, have a lot of spicy foods—to keep them warm during the winter.
Fatty and Fried Foods
We all love our greasy, meaty burgers, fries, and fried chicken, but it takes your body considerable effort to digest such foods, especially when you’re lying down. All that fat just sits in your stomach and can lead to bloating and acid reflux — not exactly conducive to a good night’s sleep. What you can do though is opt for leaner proteins like lentils, Greek yogurt, and eggs.
Alcohol
You might think a glass of wine would make you feel drowsy initially, but alcohol actually disrupts your sleep cycles, causing you to wake up at different times during the night. Plus, alcohol is dehydrating, so you may find yourself waking up thirsty for water. Since alcohol is known to help your muscles relax, you’ll end up snoring loudly because the muscles in the roof of your mouth, tongue, and throat relax so much that they partially block the airway. Sticking to mocktails in the evening would be a better idea.
Citrus Fruits
The acidic properties in oranges, grapefruits, clementines, kumquat, tangerines, lemons, and other citrus fruits can stimulate your digestive system to secret higher levels of stomach acid leading to acid reflux. Eating them before bed can trigger heartburn for some people. The high water content of these fruits may also make you need to get up to use the bathroom during the night. Reach for a banana instead if you need a bedtime fruit fix.
Pizza
As delicious as a late-night pizza binge sounds, you’ll regret it when you’re lying in bed with the feeling of a rock in your stomach. Pizza sauce, which is loaded with acidic properties thanks to all the tomatoes, and the fatty cheese (cheddar and mozzarella which is what most pizzas contain) is tough to digest, especially if you’re lactose intolerant. This combination could lead to indigestion, which in turn can sabotage your sleep.
Ice Cream and Sugary Treats
Cookies, cake, candy, and every other dessert in between can cause a spike in your blood sugar level because refined carbs like those found in sweets generally have a high glycemic index. As a result, these types of food are digested much faster than say whole grains and non-starchy fruits. There’s also the fact that refined carbs offer little to no nutritional value. Although the sugar rush might give you a short burst of energy, it could wear off fast and leave you with disrupted sleep.
Sources: Healthline, PharmEasy, Sleep Foundation, Sleep Health Solutions