Most of us know to avoid a late night cup of coffee, but we rarely draw the correlation between what we eat and how it effects our sleep. Listed below are 5 types of food that are best avoided in order to get a great night’s sleep.
1. SPICY FOODS
Let it be said that, there is nothing like a delicious takeaway from your favourite curry house to start the weekend off with a bang. However, without being too crude, we all know what a vindaloo or the equivalent – for me that’s a Korma – can do to our digestion systems at the best of times. As well as digestion issues, eating tasty foods that contain large amounts of chilli can induce heartburn, and wreak havoc with the way we regulate are body temperature, resulting in a less restful night’s sleep. So, eating hot and spicy foods late in the evening should, unfortunately, be avoided.
2. CHOCOLATE
Ok, I have to say this one hurts me! My guilty pleasure is most definitely a glass of red and a bar of chocolate. Unfortunately neither of these will do your sleep any good if you choose to indulge late at night. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is a hidden caffeine, and therefore a stimulant. So, eating moderate amounts of chocolate can not only impact the quality of our sleep but actually delay the sleep process.
3. FATTY FOODS
Like spicy foods, fatty foods can also cause indigestion. More fat means more acid, and more acid means a higher chance of getting heartburn which can really disturb your slumber. There is even research to suggest that eating junk foods before bed can trigger more brainwaves, which in turn can cause nightmares!
4. CHEESE
Nothing makes you feel as fancy as an after dinner cheese board. However, hard cheese contains amino acid tyramine which can actually trigger headaches and make us feel more alert, thus making it harder to fall asleep.
5. PROTEIN
Ok, so I checked, and double checked this one. Who knew? We all know about the benefits that proteins such as chicken have on the body. On the other hand, digestion decreases when we sleep, and even more so, if you eat a lot of protein before bed. Therefore, instead of the body focusing on sleeping it is focusing on digestion. Try to add some tasty carbohydrates to your meal when eating late at night.
For lots more handy sleep tips visit our News page.
Sources: health.com, Business Insider, Independent and Life Hacker.