What Food Should You Avoid Before Bed?

What you eat before you go to bed does matter. You probably already know that it’s not a good idea to go to bed on a full stomach in any case.

However, what you eat in the hours before you go to sleep also makes a difference.

 

The foods you should avoid before going to sleep.

Some of the main foods you should avoid before going to bed are as follows:

• Cheese – Aged cheese or strong cheese includes a lot of tyramine, which is an amino acid that causes you to feel alert. If that wasn’t bad enough, tyramine causes the adrenal gland to release the hormone that makes you go into flight or fight mode, which is certainly not what you want before going to sleep, right?
• Chocolate – Chocolate is another poor choice because it contains a lot of caffeine. If you consume caffeine before you go to bed, you will experience more frequent rapid eye movement. This means you’re more likely to wake up feeling groggy the following day.
• Ice cream – If ice cream is your preferred evening snack, it’s time to make some changes. Sugary foods can impact your sleep because your blood sugar levels will spike and then they’ll crash while you are sleeping. Blood sugar crashes will alert your adrenals to an emergency, increasing cortisol levels and meaning you’re more likely to wake up during the night.
• Curry – There are high levels of capsaicin in curries and other spicy foods, such as mustard and hot sauce. This is a chemical that increases body temperature by meddling in your body’s thermoregulation. In turn, this will disrupt your sleep. If that wasn’t bad enough, digesting spice will require a lot of energy, and this further ruins your chances of deep sleep. 

Other things you can do before you go to bed

Not only does your choice of food make a difference in terms of the sleep you have, but the activities you enjoy before you go to bed also matter. 

In a recent study, Betway discovers which activities are best to ensure a good night’s sleep. Some of the best options include watching a comedy film, doing a face mask, and meditating, which took the top spot.

Listening to music was also recommended, with Betway stating the following: 

“Winding the day down by listening to your favorite tunes comes in fourth place. While respondents were awake for 17 minutes during the night, this activity resulted in the longest sleep time, with eight hours 18 minutes on average. In terms of sleep quality, it matches watching a comedy with 87%.”

Get your bedtime routine in order and eat right before you sleep

As you can see, what you eat in the hours leading up to your bedtime really does make a massive difference in terms of how easy it is for you to fall asleep and the quality of sleep you have. 

You can also enhance your chances of having a quality sleep by trying some of the activities we’ve mentioned above, such as listening to relaxing music or doing a face mask.

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