Sleep deprivation is one of the major problems among Brits at present. Without knowing it, we tend to eat the wrong types of food before going to bed that makes it hard for us to get a good night’s sleep.
Lack of sleep may lead to a multitude of health problems: higher risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and the deterioration of our immune system and mental health. Most people battle stress on a day-to-day basis, and unless we know what to do to manage it, our best defence would be proper rest and adequate amount of sleep.
If you are having a hard time attaining so, cutting out certain foods before sleeping could help you drift off faster. We might find it acceptable to reach for a midnight snack or something to munch on before going to bed, but it could cause us more harm than good.
Here Are Nine Foods Keeping You Awake At Night
1. Chocolate
Chocolates are one of the most popular sweets of all time. Among other desserts, it is the easiest to nibble before bed. Despite this, the level of caffeine in chocolates can make you start tossing and turning around all night. A side effect of acquiring unwanted energy.
If you are in the middle of your day, however, dark chocolate is one of the 18 superfoods that enable you to maintain a healthy eating pattern. This tasty treat was linked to a reduction in heart attack and nonfatal stroke cases when consumed daily. Keyword here is “daily” and not “nightly.”
2. White Bread
White bread always comes handy at home. So, whenever we feel hungry in the middle of the night, we tend to munch on this food before sleeping.
However, white bread is full of processed sugar that can make you feel energetic for the rest of the night. Aside from that, it contributes to weight gain and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Brown bread, in contrary, is safer to consume.
3. Sugary Cereals
Just like the snack as mentioned earlier, a late night bowl of cereal will surely increase the level of sugar in your blood — a level you don’t need if you want to get a good sleep afterwards. It will result in a sugar rush that might wake you up in the middle of the night.
It’s still best to consume a bowl of cereal first thing in the morning to get the energy you need throughout the day.
4. Cheese
Cheese contains a chemical which makes our brains work harder than normal. When we snack on cheese or any cheese-flavoured food before going to bed, it will be hard for us to shut our minds to sleep.
5. Spicy Food
Spicy food increases our blood flow as well as our bodies’ temperatures. In reality, your body needs to cool down to prepare for a good night’s sleep. Warming our systems up with spicy noodles or chips before bedtime will surely buy us more time awake.
6. Peppermint
As tempting as it can be to snack on post-meal mints, this food triggers heartburn. For the sake of shutting yourself early for the night, consider saying no to peppermint before going to bed.
7. Dried Fruit
Dried fruits are both high in fibre and natural sugar, making them a bad idea for a snack before you sleep at night. Fibre increases your digestion rate while sugar provides unnecessary levels of energy before bedtime.
8. Celery
You might be wondering why a vegetable is one of the foods keeping you awake at night despite being nutritious. It’s because celery is a veggie that’s full of water which might mean you will need more time in the bathroom than the bedroom.
9. Pasta
A bowl full of carbohydrates activates the bodies energy storage system. The source of slow-release energy means you’ll be feeling sprightly, making it harder to sleep.