You will be surprised to know that what you eat at dinner or late at night can negatively impact your sleep. That is why it is essential to check what you eat before you hit the bed at the end of the day. Want to know what food items to avoid eating before bedtime? Here is the list.
1. Dark Chocolate
First on the list is the common comfort food of many – dark chocolate. It might be tempting to reach for that one bar of chocolate after a hectic day, but dark chocolate is a sneaky devil. Due to the presence of caffeine and amino acids in it, chocolate consumption might keep you awake at night. As per USDA, 100 grams of dark chocolate contains 43 milligrams of caffeine. That is why it is better to consume dark chocolate in the afternoon to double-up your energy. Even coffee should be avoided before bed due to its caffeine content.
2. Ice-Cream
Yet another comfort food that people love to devour after a meal. But the high amount of sugar and fat present in the ice cream can hamper your sleep. Even those so-called low-fat ice-creams can be high in sugar. Any food with high sugar and fat content takes time to digest, so your body is unable to rest at night as it is still digesting your sugar-laden food. Plus, sugar can immediately spike blood sugar levels, disrupting your sleep. As per USDA, a 100-gram serving of vanilla ice cream has 11 grams of fat and 21.2 grams of sugar, making it hard to digest at night as the digestive system slows down when you sleep.
3. Fried Chicken
Another much-loved food that you should avoid eating before bedtime is fried chicken or any fast food like burgers, fries, and so on. These food items have too much fat content, making them difficult to digest before bedtime. Moreover, high-fat food can also lead to acid reflux symptoms, making it difficult to sleep at night. You should instead opt for a lean, grilled breast piece for easy digestion and better sleep.
4. Any Spicy Food
Avoid eating anything spicy at night as it can lead to heartburn, making it challenging to have a peaceful sleep at night. Moreover, spicy food items raise your body temperature, which will make you feel hot and you might end up lying awake for much longer. So, avoid eating spicy condiments like chili peppers, sriracha, or spicy wing sauce before bed. Instead, have it during lunch to avoid any issues at night.
5. White Bread
Be it a sandwich, pizza, or any other white-bread item, avoid eating them at night no matter how tempting it seems. White bread is a high glycemic index food, which means it spikes your blood sugar levels immediately after its consumption. This will eventually disrupt your sleep cycle as your blood sugar will crash later on at night and might wake you up.
So, avoid eating these items before bedtime for a good night’s sleep. Instead, have them in the afternoon to keep your energy levels up.
You can also read 5 Tips To Get Your Kids Cooking in The Kitchen
