6 Foods to Avoid Before Sleep

You should not just grab the first thing that you see when you are craving for the bedtime snacks. While the light and carby snacks like apples and crackers can assist you in sleeping there are many other foods that can wreak havoc and set your sleeping schedule for a toss.

These foods can irritate the tummy, cause nightmares, give rise to insomnia, and even send you for disruptive bathroom breaks time and again.

It is the most annoying experience to stay awake and count stars instead of sleeping while lying down on the bed especially after a long and hectic day.

There are several age-old rules for inducing deep sleep like taking a bath, spraying lavender on the pillow, reading books, and avoiding looking at the screens of devices like tablets, laptops, and phones. But apart from that, recent researches have brought forth the fact that the food we have before bed also has a direct impact on how we sleep.

Here are some foods that are can keep you wide awake throughout the night and should be avoided especially in case of those who have sleeping problems. Just take a look.

• Chocolates – You are swallowing loads of sugar if you are eating cookies and chocolates. While that is already quite harmful chocolates also contain a significant amount of concealed caffeine. Even though the chocolates don’t contain a huge amount of that, even a little amount of caffeine can disrupt the processes taking place in the body and the brain before bedtime that induce sleep. Even the different types of teas and decaf coffee can keep you awake throughout the night as they contain a sufficient amount of caffeine to do that especially if you sip it before bed.

• Pizza – You should give a second thought about the late-night pizza that you just ordered because of a lot of reasons. According to research, the cheesy toppings there are capable of giving you nightmares and the tummy aches can also be initiated because of the acidic tomato sauce for which you have to go for late-night bathroom breaks. Added to that, pizza is really more than a bedtime snack. Opting for a second dinner can bring in a lot of calories that are not required at all.

• Fries and Steaks – You are already aware that fatty foods are not good for the heart and the waistline. But the meals that are high in fat like cheese, meats, fats, and fried foods actually bring forth a very slow process of digestion that can lead to the uncomfortable feeling of fullness. The heartburn and gastric reflux are the more disruptive symptoms that occur after a fat meal.

• Acidic Foods – About 10 percent of the younger men suffer from acid reflux and the worst part is that they are unaware of it. The common sensations include burning sensations in your chest as well as at the back of the throat. As a result of the reflux the seal responsible for keeping the contents of the stomach from bubbling into the esophagus and throat fails to do its job properly. And as expected, this problem is further exaggerated at the time when the patient lies down. The tomato-flavored sauces and the spicy and fried foods are highly acidic and hence you should avoid taking them before going to bed.

• Spicy Foods – The hot peppers and the chilies are very effective in driving away sleep. So until and unless you do not want to drift away to sleep for a couple of hours you should refrain from having spicy foods prior to going to bed. GERD or gastroesophageal reflux is triggered by spicy foods and that is the reason why they disturb sleep. Added to that, the spices are enriched with antioxidants as a result of which the metabolism is boosted but they also act as the wake-up call for the body’s internal clock that makes it extremely difficult to sleep. Lastly, the zesty foods come with a high thermic effect that can impact the sleep adversely because it raises the temperature of the body.

 

• Alcohol – Though you may be prompted to hit the sheets faster after a night of boozing your quality of sleep suffers radically. Alcohol not only enhances the number of times that your sleep is disrupted but your REM sleep is also disturbed by it. This is a substantial stage that involves the storage of memories and knowledge. To log in the most restful sleep you should bid adieu to the happy hours at least a couple of hours before retiring to bed.

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The above are some of the worst foods that you should avoid taking before bedtime if you want a good night’s sleep. If you are still not being able to sleep, you should consult with a reputed sleep doctor who apart from recommending the best snoring aids can also detect if there are some other issues behind your sleep disruption and treat you accordingly so that you can wake up fresh every morning after a sound sleep at night.