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5 Foods to Avoid Before Bed
Share5 Foods to Avoid Before Bed
Struggling to sleep? Hitting the hay all wired up? It could be what you ate. Check out these 5 foods to avoid before bed – so you can enjoy a calmer, deeper sleep.1. Caffeine
It’s the most obvious threat to a good night’s sleep, but many of us are guilty of a coffee or soft drink late in the day. Caffeine revs up your central nervous system for hours – anywhere from eight to 14 hours in fact! So be sure to cut caffeine a good eight or so hours before you plan to hit the hay.2. Booze
You booze, you don’t snooze! One study found just one glass of spirits before bed keeps women awake for 15 minutes longer than usual. Plus, a little tipple at night cuts sleeping time by 19 minutes and hampers the quality of your snooze.Why is a nightcap so bad for sleep? It’s metabolised quickly, which means you may wake up during the night. And it also stops your body from drifting into REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.
Booze also makes snoring worse, because it relaxes your muscles – which might be bad news for your bedfellow!
3. Spicy foods
That vindaloo curry sure tasted good going down…but it might keep you up all night! That’s because spicy foods boost your metabolism and raise your core temperature. So you may find it harder to get into a sleep state and stay there.4. High protein or fat meal
If you’re on a high-protein, high-fat diet, you might want to eat early in the evening. Because the experts say it’s a recipe for a bad night’s sleep – and a hard time waking up in the morning. Why? Some say it’s because a high-protein dish doesn’t give your body much tryptophan – the amino acid linked with the ‘sleep hormone’ serotonin.Going to bed with a fully tummy can also affect your digestion, leading to problems such as acid reflux and indigestion.
5. Dark chocolate
I love a little square of dark chocolate at night. But we should bear in mind many varieties contain caffeine – some the equivalent of half an espresso coffee! So always check the label first, and maybe have your sweet treat early in the evening, so your body has time to relax before bed.
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