Sleep is crucial to your overall well-being and plays a key role in important functions such as muscle growth and regeneration, immune function and memory. New research even suggests that a lack of quality sleepRisk of certain diseases such as dementiaand can increase heart failure. The question is: What shouldn't you eat in the evening to get a good night's sleep? Aside from avoiding caffeinated drinks like coffee a few hours before bed, are there other drinks you should cut out? Here are the worst foods to eat before bed, according to sleep experts.
You should not eat these foods in the evening
One of the worst things you can eat before bed is any food thatCan cause gastrointestinal problemssays Michael Breus, clinical psychologist and sleep specialist. For many people these arespicy foods or triggers of allergies and intolerances, which can cause you to toss and turn in bed due to discomfort and ultimately disrupt your sleep.
“But the bigger culprit, the one that is less well known, is theFluctuation in blood sugar, which causes early morning wake-ups,” he says. “Carbohydratesgenerally make you sleepy because they increase serotonin levels.”
Every night - regardless of whether you sleep or not - your blood sugar levels rise due to thecircadian rhythm, also known as the body's internal clock, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Blood sugar levels also rise during sleep. Blood sugar fluctuations that occur overnight and during sleep are normal and not a cause for concern for most healthy people.
Due to the body's susceptibility to blood sugar fluctuations during the night, you should allsugary foods or drinks (including alcohol)Avoid in the evening before bed, adds Teralyn Sell, psychotherapist and brain health expert.
Both sugary foods and alcohol can cause mild symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia, in which blood sugar levels fall withinfour hours after eating a carbohydrate-rich mealsinks. Mild symptoms include hunger, nausea, nervousness and shakyness - all of which can ultimately affect your sleep quality. Read more about this in our article “Carbohydrates before bed: How bad is it really?“
“When blood sugar levels become too low due to sugar or not eating,Adrenalindistributed,” says Sell. Adrenaline, also known as the ““Fight or flight” hormone, is the reason why you may feel restless throughout the night, as it is released into the blood in response to stressful or exciting situations.
Alcohol can disrupt sleep
"You'll notice that you don't sleep deeply or wake up at 2 a.m. because of the adrenaline rush resulting from reactive hypoglycemia," Sell adds. "Although alcohol can help you fall asleep, it disrupts the stages of sleep, so you won't be able to sleep as deeply."
More precisely, canAlcoholthe most important phase of sleepREM sleep(from English Rapid Eye Movement). During an eight-hour sleep, you typically enter REM sleep four to five times. However, if you drink alcohol before bed, it can inhibit REM sleep and cause you to wake up feeling groggy and overly sleepy.
So if you need to wake up early for an important business presentation or a strenuous workout, you should avoid waking up a few hours before bedspicy foods or a sugary dessertto eat or at least upWine or liqueurto avoid this to ensure you get a good night's sleep.
