One of the key ingredients for ensuring optimal overall health is getting enough restful sleep. As a matter of fact, chronic sleep deprivation can have an impact on your physical as well as mental wellbeing and also make you vulnerable to health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. There are a number of factors that make it difficult for people to fall asleep, one of which are their food choices. The foods you eat can have an impact on your sleep cycle, which means you need to be cautious about what you are eating, especially at night.
Here are some of the top foods that keep you awake and night and you should monitor their intake to fix your sleep issues.
Caffeinated foods and beverages
If you think of foods and drinks that can provide you instant energy, items like coffee and other caffeinated products will be the top choice. This is due to the fact that caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, which means it increases the feelings of alertness and can keep you energized and awake. Due to this effect, caffeinated foods and beverages, such as coffee, soda, tea and chocolate products can impact your sleep negatively and keep you awake at night. Therefore, it is recommended that you cut back on caffeine for promoting restful sleep.
Spicy foods
There are several reasons why eating spicy foods close to your bed time can mess up your sleep cycle. Eating these foods can cause indigestion and worsen symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn. The symptoms can get worse when you lie down and try to sleep because the acid travels to the esophagus and leads to irritation, thereby keeping you awake at night. Thus, it is best to avoid eating spicy foods if you experience acid reflux or heart burn after eating spicy foods.
Fatty foods
Poor sleep can also happen due to the consumption of foods that are high in fat, such as fatty meats and fried chicken. Your sleep pattern is negatively affected due to a greater intake of fat, particularly saturated fat. Eating fatty foods late at night slow down your digestion and the digestive system becomes overwhelmed. This can result in discomfort that keeps you awake. In addition, symptoms of acid reflux are also exacerbated by fatty foods and this will also keep you awake at night.
Fast foods and ultra-processed foods
If you want restful sleep, then it is best to avoid eating ultra-processed food items, such as packaged snacks and fast food. Diets that are high in ultra-processed foods can often lead to short sleep duration and poor sleep quality. In addition, these foods can also lead to weight gain and obesity. Those suffering from these conditions can suffer from more sleep issues. These include sleep apnea, which makes it difficult to breathe at night and results in sleep loss.
Along with these foods, you also need to minimize your alcohol intake to ensure a good night’s sleep for optimal health.
