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Best and Worst: Food & Drink that Affects Sleep

We all know how frustrating it can be when you get your head down on the pillow at night, only to find that you just can’t seem to drift off. There are a whole range of factors that may stop you from getting the eight hours you need: stress, noise, light and heat are just a few of them. But one of the other big ones is what you eat and drink during the day. There is no doubt that going to bed feeling hungry or full can interrupt the quality of sleep you have at night, but the type of food and drink is also a big factor. So, let’s have a look at some of the best and worst types of food and drink when it comes to helping you relax and drift off for a good night’s sleep.



BEST

Cherries

Melatonin is one of the key hormones that it is involved in regulating our sleep. One of the few foods which have been shown to naturally contain melatonin are cherries. A study has shown that drinking cherry juice can improve sleep duration and quality. On a side note, laptop and television screens have been shown to affect melatonin production, so try not to use these types of devices too close to bedtime. As well as this, the types of sheet and bedding you sleep in can also make a difference so take a look at Plumeria Bay. Back to cherries, try eating a few of these to see what a difference it could make to you getting the sleep you need at night.

Fortified Cereal

Carbohydrates, in general, tend to be good for your sleep, so you could try a bowl of cereal before you go to bed. Milk also has its own sleep-promoting qualities, meaning that the two combined can be good for your sleep. Other types of complex carbohydrates which you can try out include quinoa, barley, and buckwheat. Try not to go for cereal brands with too much sugar as this can have the reverse effect. One with oats is probably your best bet as these are naturally rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

Bananas



First of all, bananas contain carbohydrates which we have already mentioned can help to make you sleepy. They also contain some natural muscle-relaxants like magnesium and potassium which can also help to promote sleep. In general, bananas can help to improve the health of your heart and enhance your brainpower so you should definitely add some into your diet! 


WORST

Beef Burgers

The extremely high fat content found in beefburgers will stimulate the production of acid in the stomach. This acid can then end up spilling over into the esophagus, leading to heartburn. As well as this, the high salt content can end up leaving you dehydrated and needing water in the middle of the night. 

Alcohol



Any type of alcoholic beverage is bad for sleep. Even if you find that it helps you to drift off in the first place, the quality of your sleep is significantly affected as it metabolises in your system and causes you to wake up several times during the night. Your REM sleep also ends up being disrupted, meaning that you may wake up not feeling refreshed. If you sleep with someone else, alcohol can also make you snore which isn’t good for either of you! 

Coffee

Containing high quantities of caffeine, coffee can overstimulate your body if you drink it too close to bedtime. Depending on how much you consume during the day in general, this will affect your overall tolerance. Try to cut out these types of drink in the evening to see if this impacts on your ability to get to sleep at night.

Spicy Curries 



It is not just curries, but spicy foods of all kind can impact the overall quality of your sleep. The thing about curries is that they tend also to have a high fat and salt content which can disrupt you at night, meaning that they are certainly to be avoided late at night. As well as this, spicy food can cause heartburn, which as we have already talked about earlier on, can end up waking you up.

Cheese

We all know about the close association between eating too much cheese and having bad dreams. The main reason for this is because certain types of cheese contain high levels of the amino acid tyramine, which causes an extra amount of brain activity and alertness. So, this means that you probably want to avoid hard cheese before bed! 

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