Food that harm your sleep

Food to avoid to ensure a good night’s sleep.

The quality of your sleep has an enormous impact on daily life and interrupted slumber can affect your work, concentration and ability to interact with others. During sleep, both physical and mental restoration take place, allowing you to feel fresh and alert in the morning. There are many things that can prevent us from having a good night’s sleep, but not many people are aware that food can be one of them. Not being able to sleep is incredibly frustrating therefore it is important to know what food you should avoid in the evenings to ensure that you have a good sleep.

Spicy and heavy foods

Spicy dishes are known to cause heartburn; whereas, heavy ones can make you feel uncomfortable throughout the night. Eating a huge dinner or even a big supper may make you feel drowsy, but sleep won’t necessarily take place. Your digestion will slow down and it will make you feel uncomfortable when you lie down and try to doze off. While you may fall asleep faster, all the intestinal work required to digest big meals are likely to cause frequent waking in the middle of the night. So, make sure you have early dinner to avoid this from happening.

Protein and preserved meats

You should keep protein to a minimum before bedtime because this particular food group is hard to digest because it contains an amino acid that promotes brain activity. Preserved meats such as bacon and sausages contain high levels of the amino acid tyramine which triggers the brain to release norepinephrine which is a brain stimulant that makes us feel alert. Similarly, numerous studies show that consuming a lot of fat during the day will disrupt your sleep cycle.



Sugars

Carbohydrates high in junk sugars are less likely to help you sleep. You'll miss out on the sleep-inducing effects of tryptophan, and you may set off the roller-coaster effect of plummeting blood sugar followed by the release of stress hormones that will keep you awake.



Caffeine

Caffeine is a natural chemical that activates the central nervous system, which means that it revs up nerves and thought processes. While drinking a cup of tea or coffee is obviously going to affect a person’s sleep, there are many food and drinks that contain hidden caffeine such as carbonated sodas like cola and even chocolate. It is best to avoid drinking caffeine after midday. There are also some medications that you can buy over the counter that contain caffeine as well, such as pain killers, weight loss pills and cold and flu medication.



Alcohol

Many people think that a night cap will help them to sleep better as they feel slightly woozy after a glass, but this isn’t so at all and it is more likely to make you wake early as it is a stimulant. You may also experience frequent awakenings, night sweats and definitely a less restful sleep. Alcohol dehydrates you and wine is high in the stimulant tyrosine as well. Alcohol also impairs rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the time when the body is in its restorative phase leaving you tired the next day.



Snooze foods

These are foods high in the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan:

•Dairy products: cottage cheese, cheese, milk •Soy products: soy milk, tofu, soybean nuts •Seafood •Meats •Poultry •Whole grains •Beans •Rice •Hummus •Lentils •Hazelnuts, Peanuts •Eggs •Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds

Tryptophan is a precursor of the sleep-inducing substances serotonin and melatonin. This means tryptophan is the raw material that the brain uses to build these relaxing neurotransmitters. The more foods you eat that contain this substance will help to make you sleepy.