6-Foods You Should Never, Eat Before Bed
Marissa Laliberte-reader's digest
These bedtime snacks will leave you tossing and turning.
1-Fried foods-french fries
Don’t try solving your late-night munchies with a trip to the drive-through. Greasy, fatty foods get through your system slower than protein and carbs, so your body will still be hard at work by the time you try falling asleep, says behavioral sleep consultant Richard Shane, PhD, creator of the Sleep Easily Method. “You don’t want the engine of the digestive system cranking away when the rest of your body is trying to go to sleep,” he says. Find out why you crave junk food when you’re tired.
2-Hot sauce-Korean red pepper paste gochujang
The reasons to avoid spicy foods before bed are twofold. For one, they can irritate the stomach and cause heartburn, making it hard to wind down for sleep, says Dr. Shane. The interaction also creates a passage for histamines to release into your body, says W Christopher Winter, MD, president of the Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Clinic and author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It. “Anti-histamines make you sleepy,” he says, but on the flip side, histamines promote wakefulness.
3-Turkey-Slicing a Turkey
Forget what you’ve heard about how the tryptophan in turkey makes you sleepy on Thanksgiving—you can blame your food coma on the massive portions you gobbled down. In fact, turkey on any other day might actually keep you awake. The protein signals the brain to produce dopamine, the “motivation molecule” that gives you energy. You might want to avoid chicken and steak close to bedtime, but there’s still a way to get your protein fix. “Game meat and salmon are higher in melatonin,” says Dr. Winter. “Those are good for sleep.” On the flip side, make sure you never these 10 things if you want to live a long life.
4-Alcohol-Glasses of red wine.
Top view. The concept of party and celebration
Ending your day with a glass (or two) of red wine might conk you out, but you won’t be getting good quality sleep. As your head hits the pillow, your liver is still hard at work trying to remove the alcohol from your system, says Dr. Shane. “There’s a connection between your liver and your heart, and your heart beats faster, and that wakes you up,” he says. Once you snap out of dreamland, your pounding heart will make it harder to drift back into sleep. Instead of wine, try these 11 natural sleep aids that actually work.
5-Chocolate-Chocolate bar/ chocolate bar pieces / nut chocolate/ chocolate background
You probably wouldn’t down a cup of coffee before bed, but it’s not the only source of caffeine. One ounce of chocolate (about three squares) contains about 23 milligrams of caffeine, which is a quarter of the amount in a cup of coffee. (These are the 50 things nutritionists never eat—so you shouldn’t either.)
6-Water-Top view of a refreshing Gin & Tonic with raspberries, lime, blueberries, pomegranate and dried spiced berries
Most of the time, extra hydration deserves two thumbs up. As the clock ticks toward bedtime, though, you might want to wind down your liquid load so you don’t need to drag yourself out of bed to use the bathroom. “Drink a sufficient amount of water during the day and even at dinnertime so your body has enough water,” says Dr. Shane. “You don’t want to go to bed thirsty and drink a lot then.” If you do need to sip something, try these best drinks to help you sleep.