If you are struggling to sleep at night, don’t you know why? The reason behind this situation might be dinner or evening snacks of foods that keep you awake. Various factors, such as bad food eating at night, make it difficult for you to fall asleep. Here we have listed some foods that keep you awake at night.
Alcohol
Many people use alcohol to help fall asleep more quickly. It is mostly consumed with other foods that will interrupt your sleep. If you find that your nightcap contributing to your sleep deprivation, it may be time to stop drinking alcohol. This is a nervous system stimulant that actually slows the body and causes relaxation and drowsiness, but alcohol create short sleep cycle and imbalance your overall sleep experience.
Caffeine
Whether you like afternoon cola or enjoy a caffeinated drink in late evening, this favorite stimulant can easily ruin your sleep schedule. Caffeine is said to cause a spike in the body 1 to 6 hours after ingestion and stimulate the body up to 6 hours later. Caffeine intake believed to reduce sleep time and can cause fatigue, memory loss, emotional regulation problems & sleeping disorder.
Spicy Foods
Although spicy foods are delicious in taste, they almost guarantee that you won’t sleep comfortably if you enjoy a spicy meal before bed. Spicy meals and acidic foods can cause severe heartburn, which might cause major issues for the people affected by esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Red and green peppers have the capacity to boost your stomach temperature which make it harder to go to sleep.
Fast Foods
Eat a lighter meal in evening because your body preparing itself for sleep and the digestive system becomes slow. As a result, food can stay with in the stomach for longer. This could potentially cause issues like acid reflux which will keep you awake and make you uncomfortable for sleep. Fast food or a junk food in evening can cause heartburn and acidity which can interrupt your sleep.
Sugary Foods
It’s a well known irrefutable fact that too much amount of sugar is not good for your health, but did you recognize that it can also have a significant impact on your sleep too? If your overall diet is high in sugar (fruits, processed foods, sugary snacks, etc.) you are more likely to have more sleepless nights. In 2018, one study shows that the people who consume excessive sugar, sleep lighter and feel restless at night.
Ice Cream
A bowl of ice cream before going to bed could be a bad idea because it’s so high in fat & sugar. The high fat and sugar filled ice cream is very rich and creamy and makes it difficult for our body to digest. While your body is busy in breaking down dessert, it won’t get the amount of relaxation it needs for you to go to sleep. If you’re craving a sweet and creamy dessert, eat a cup of fat free yogurt.
Energy Drinks
Energy drinks can have a negative effect on your sleep but the effects of such drinks are much greater. An 8 ounce of Red Bull can containing about 80 mg of caffeine in it. If you’re drinking energy drinks early in the day, that’s fine but it’s a good idea to drink a glass of coconut milk before bedtime. It is high in magnesium which helps to facilitate your sleep and its hydration properties prevent you from waking up in the middle of the night for water.
Citrus Fruit
They are high in vitamin C which makes them a wonderful addition to any diet, citrus fruits should be avoided before bedtime. The citrus fluids/acids in oranges, lemons, Clementine, grapefruits, tangerines and kumquats will supply excessive amounts of acid to your stomach which will make it very difficult for you to sleep. On the other hand, cherries will help in your sleep.
Chicken
Chicken should generally be avoided as a late night meal. Chicken remains a source of high protein and the digestive system needs a good amount of time to digest it. While banana is relatively easy to digest, it is good source of potassium, magnesium and pyridoxamine, which the body converts into tryptophan during digestion, which can help you to sleep better.
Conclusion
If you’re struggling with your night sleep and tried many other ways to fix it but nothing helps, just start first by looking at your meal before bedtime. You’ll be surprised that some simple tweaks can help you sleep deeper.
