5 Foods To Avoid Before Bed Time

There are plenty of reasons why someone might struggle to get a good night’s sleep. From stress to aches and pains, from young children to partners who love a good snore, there are any number of ways you might struggle to get a healthy night’s sleep.

Another of these reasons comes down to diet. Consuming certain foods at certain times of the day can mess with our sleeping patterns, particularly close to your bedtime. Here are some examples. 

 

1. Fast Food

Bad news for those of you who like to grab a kebab or pizza on the way home from the pub or cinema on an evening, fast food is a bad choice before bed.

Whether it’s a burger and chips, a curry, a Chinese or a bucket of fried chicken, they all tend to contain plenty of saturated fats, colourings and additives, all of which aren’t exactly going to agree with your digestive system.

Fats stimulate the production of acid in the stomach which means you’ll have increased chances of indigestion and heartburn.

Obviously, junk food isn’t exactly good for you, as the name suggests, so regular consumption will also lead to weight gain. Obesity is one of the reasons for increased snoring as the fat around your neck tightens our airways.

 

2. Caffeinated Drinks

Probably the most obvious inclusion in the list is caffeinated drinks. However, plenty of people still manage to disrupt their sleep by consuming them.

This tends to be those who like to wind down with a mug of tea, enjoy a coffee after an evening meal or slurp on a bucket sized cola based drink at a late showing of the latest blockbuster.

What people don’t realise is that caffeine absorption isn’t instant, in fact, it might not take hold until more than an hour after consuming. This means that people might think they’ve given themselves long enough for it to wear off when in fact it is still very prevalent. 

 

3. Weighty Meals

If you are planning on wolfing down a full roast dinner on an evening, make sure you give it a few hours before you head off to bed.

You need to give your body plenty of time to digest food, so heading straight to bed after a big meal stop you from doing so.

Just like the issues with fast food, this inability to properly digest can lead to indigestion or heartburn.

 

4. Red Meats

Red meats are particularly high in protein, which is a food type more difficult than most to contend with before bed.

Consuming these before bed forces your digestive system into overworking, which can cause discomfort. Foods rich in protein can also contain tyrosine, an amino acid which stimulates the brain, the last thing you want when you’re trying to relax.

 

5. Chocolate

Unsurprisingly chocolate isn’t a fantastic choice before bet either. Obviously, choosing to munch down a food high in sugar and fat isn’t a great decision when your planning to sleep shortly after.

Chocolate is also not very filling, so if you are particularly peckish or are contending with a chocolate craving, you might end up eating a considerable amount of the stuff.