Little-known foods and drinks that can cause sleep problems, according to doctor
If you can't get to sleep at night, your diet could be to blame.
Millions of us struggle to get enough sleep every night, and it isn't just annoying in the moment - insomnia can have a damaging effect on your health, too. Alongside problems with focus and attention at work or school, a lack of sleep has even been linked to chronic health problems such as diabetes, stroke, depression, and heart disease.
While you might already know that a bedtime mug of chamomile tea might help you fall asleep faster, it turns out there are also foods and drinks that will make it harder for you to get to sleep, so should be avoided late at night.
Medical experts and sleep doctors told HuffPost there are five types of food and drink we should steer clear of if we want to get a better night's sleep, as well as the foods we should be eating instead.
Spicy foods
If you're partial to a spicy curry or some hot chicken wings for dinner, you might want to reconsider if you're also having trouble getting to sleep. According to Dr Abhinav Singh, board-certified sleep medicine and internal medicine doctor, spicy food can increase acidity in the stomach and can cause acid reflux, which can make sleep difficult.
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Gastric acid is already naturally higher at night, and if it continues to rise as a result of spicy food, it can disrupt sleep. What's more, spicy foods can also raise your body temperature, making you more uncomfortable in bed.
Pizza
It's bad news for pizza lovers - that late-night slice is a terrible idea if you have issues snoozing. Sleep medicine expert Dr Ruchir Patel said tomato sauce can be an acid reflux trigger in the same way that spicy food can. In fact, any foods made with tomatoes - including pizza and pasta sauces - could keep you up at night.
Not only that, but some pizza toppings such as pepperoni are high in sodium and saturated fats, which take a long time to digest and can therefore cause sleep problems. To combat this, Dr Patel recommended avoiding pizza (and other high-sodium foods) for up to three hours before bed.
Burgers
Just like pepperoni on a pizza, burgers are another fatty food that takes the body longer to digest. Dr Singh said this problem can be made even worse if your burger comes slathered in ketchup, as this again can trigger acid reflux. If you have a real burger craving before bed, experts suggest you try a plant-based patty that is easier for the body to digest.
Milk
You might think milk is perfectly fine as a bedtime drink - after all, countless films and TV shows show children enjoying a glass of warm milk before bed, right? Well, according to Dr Patel, things in real life are very different. Milk is another product that can trigger acid reflux thanks to the lactose content. If you're desperate for milk before bed, try a plant-based version instead, as these don't contain lactose.
Peppermint
If you like to unwind with a mug of peppermint tea or enjoy a peppermint sweet after dinner to cleanse your palette, it could be keeping you up at night. Just like the other items on this list, peppermint can trigger acid reflux which can prevent you from drifting off to sleep, so you should make sure you only enjoy the minty treat during the day.
What to eat instead
With spicy food and greasy food both a no-go for bedtime, what can you eat instead? According to the experts, your late-night snacks should be made up of complex carbs, fibre and lean protein. This means eating vegetables, brown rice, lentils, beans, and wholewheat bread, alongside proteins such as poultry and fish.
On top of what you eat, it also matters when you eat. Dr Singh said that if you want something to eat right before bed, you should keep it to under 300 calories. He added: "A handful of nuts is a good nighttime snack because it has fibre and unsaturated fats."
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