Everyone wants a good night’s sleep at the end of a long day. However, there are some foods that should be avoided at night so that one doesn’t wake up during the night or experience the inability to sleep asleep. There are foods that will help you relax and then there are some which will help you stay awake. We know that taking a glass of warm milk along with honey helps us fall into a deep sleep and also we know that taking coffee at night will keep us alert. But what is the science behind such intake?
In this article, I am going be to discuss a few reasons why certain foods must be avoided so that one can get better sleep. Not only this, but now you can also buy sleeping pills UK without even leaving your comfort zone.
1. Alcohol
When you drink alcohol it just gives you a temporary feeling of being relaxed but actually, it will disrupt your sleep time and time again. Our sleep cycle has stages. The first stage is the restful stage and it is more prevalent in the first few hours. Your REM sleep starts during the second half of the night. If you have alcohol in your system at night, you may not enter the REM sleep cycle stage. That is because alcohol starts wearing off and its sedative effect wears off later on. That is why it Is likely that you will wake up in the latter part of the night. If you drink alcohol habitually, your sleep patterns will be disrupted and will result in long-term issues for sure.
Besides experiencing disturbed sleep, having alcohol also makes you have vivid dreams, as your sleep patterns are disturbed. It can also give you a feeling of being half awake and half asleep. That means your brain is not at rest and is constantly on the work.
2. Heavy Foods
Heavy food are those foods that have a high satiety value. This includes foods that have a high-fat content or have been deep-fried. For instance, if you have deep-fried rolls or a lot of chips along with zinger crispy chicken at night you may experience the inability to fall asleep. This is mainly due to indigestion. The person constantly feels “heavy” and is unable to fall asleep properly. In such cases, it is advised to not have heavy meals before sleeping or have them at least six to eight hours before going to bed. This gives your stomach enough time to digest food and break it down into simpler components. If you can’t avoid such meals, then you can simply Buy Sleeping Pills online and take one as per the prescription to enjoy sound sleep.
3. Foods with high water content
If you are taking foods with high water content like juices or other water drinks at night, your blood volume increases due to the presence of a large amount of water. The body utilizes only the amount of water molecules it needs to regulate processes, the rest is filtered out by our kidney tubules. Therefore, if you are having a lot of water before going to sleep, your sleep will be surely disturbed by having to go to the bathroom again and again. It becomes inconvenient for the person to get up in the night multiple times from the bed and urinate. That is why it is suggested that foods with moderate water content must be taken before sleep and even if you want to have more water, put short intervals in its intake.
4. Foods with Caffeine
Caffeine is our best buddy when it comes to staying awake all night. This is also known as a “brain alert substance”. Just a spoonful of caffeine is enough to keep you awake all night. That is why people who want to work late at night or want to pull an all-nighter prefer caffeine. There are several forms in which caffeine can be taken. It can be taken by mixing it with water, as in black coffee and it can also be taken with milk. Tea also has a little amount of caffeine but it is relatively less than the content of coffee beans. Fizzy drinks like Coca-Cola and Pepsi also have caffeine along with high sugar content.
All these add up to the inability of a person to sleep and keep the brain alert at all times. That is why foods with caffeine must be avoided to get a deep sleep.
5. Super Sugary Treats
Poor quality sleep is associated with high sugar content intake. Foods that have a high glycemic index increase your blood glucose levels. This includes processed foods that have added sugars in them. This also includes sweets and chocolates that are eaten late at night. Women who had a high glycemic diet experience insomnia. There are multiple reasons why a high sugar intake diet interferes with your sleep. When you intake sugar, hormones like insulin, adrenaline, cortisol as well as growth hormones are released. This can lead to the inability to fall asleep. Sugary intake ma at first make you sleepy but as soon as insulin secretion starts, it interferes with your sleep cycle and causes you to stay awake till later parts of the night. High sugar intake creates imbalances in your body that you are not comfortable with.
6. Spicy Foods
Having spicy foods before going to bed might not just be the best idea of putting yourself to sleep. The spicy foods take a lot of time in being digested by your stomach and hence lead towards indigestion. This is due to their property of creating an imbalance in stomach’s pH and causing it to become acidic. This leads to acidity. Acidity causes discomfort for a person and he is unable to fall asleep. That is why herbal tea is recommended to take alongside spicy foods so that they are digested quickly and the pH balances out.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, it can be said that certain foods must be avoided to regulate a good sleeping cycle. Any sort of imbalances created in your body by food intake will ultimately affect your sleeping patterns. Therefore it can be said that the food you eat will help you sleep! Whereas, sleeping pills are also there to assist you in getting peaceful naps.
