The culprit behind your insomnia could be when and what you’re eating. Those foods or drinks you’re consuming before bedtime thinking they will help you sleep, may be doing the opposite. Avoid these 10 foods before bed.
10. Ice Cream
Probably the #1 comfort food people consume before bed is ice cream. But ice cream delivers a double whammy of high fat and sugar. Per the USDA, there are 11 grams of fat and 21.2 grams of sugar in a 100-gram serving of vanilla ice cream. Your sleep will be disrupted by hard-to-digest fat and spiking blood sugar.
9. Chocolate
Chocolate is a common comfort food people reach for before bed. However, chocolate contains caffeine, a stimulant, which can keep you awake. Per the USDA, 100 grams of chocolate contains 43 milligrams of caffeine. That’s equivalent to roughly a half cup of coffee. Plus, chocolate is high in sugar, which spikes your blood sugar levels and can negatively impact sleep.
8. Spicy Foods
Any food containing spices — particularly peppers, like chili peppers — as well as condiments, sauces, and salsas can disrupt your sleep. These foods challenge your digestive system, which slows down when you sleep. They can force your digestive system to work harder and it keep you awake. Plus, spicy foods can significantly worsen heartburn.
7. White Bread
A sandwich with white bread before bedtime seems like a quick fix to quell your hunger. Unfortunately, white bread is a high glycemic index food. It spikes your blood sugar levels right after eating it. Any food containing refined carbohydrates sends blood sugar soaring. This disturbs your sleep as your blood sugar will crash later on and may wake you.
6. Doughnuts
Sure, doughnuts can bring a comforting feeling when eating them before bedtime. However, that feeling quickly evaporates and can lead to a restless night. Doughnuts have high sugar content which, at first, spikes your blood sugar level. Then your blood sugar crashes. The result is a roller coaster night of blood sugar levels and insomnia.
5. Fried Chicken
Fried chicken contains over 20 grams of fat per 100 grams. Fat is hard to digest, especially before bed when your digestive system is slowing down. High-fat foods can worsen acid reflux symptoms. If you just have to have a piece of chicken close to bedtime, opt for grilled chicken instead.
4. Fast food
After you’ve had a long day, a late night out, or missed dinner, grabbing some fast food might seem like a quick fix. However, if you want good sleep, it might be best to skip that meal. Fast food is high in fat, making it hard to digest. At bedtime, your digestive system slows down, making digestion much harder.
3. Bacon
Bacon might be commonly considered a breakfast food for good reason. Bacon is high in fat to the tune of a whopping 37 grams. That makes it hard to digest. And digesting bacon is even harder at bedtime because your digestive system slows down as you sleep. Bacon is a major problem right before bed for those prone to acid reflux.
Read More: Here’s What Happens When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep
2. Candy
Candy right before bed is a bad idea for numerous reasons. First, the high sugar content in candy creates a blood sugar spike right as you’re trying to wind down. Candy often contains chocolate, which means you’re consuming caffeine, another stimulant. Candy commonly contains saturated and trans fats, which are harder to digest. Consuming unhealthy fats can lead to insomnia.
Read More: What Is ‘Bed Rotting’ and Why is it Trending with Gen-Z?
1. Alcohol
Many people reach for a drink before bedtime to wind down. Unfortunately, alcohol before bed can have the opposite effect. While the alcohol may help you relax and fall asleep faster initially, that won’t last. Your blood alcohol level will change throughout the night and can lead to sleep disturbances. Heavy alcohol use is strongly linked to insomnia.
Read More: Sleep Better With this Bedtime Routine
