A nutritionist has revealed how takeout and junk food can interfere with your night’s sleep.
Carrie Gabriel, R.D., highlighted some foods that might keep you energized, including pizza, which is a British favourite.
She also pointed out a mistake people often make before bed that can have a negative impact.
Eating a large meal just before putting it by your bedside can make it difficult to digest and cause heartburn or heartburn. acid reflux.
she said daily health: “People with a more chronic form known as acid reflux. gastrointestinal reflux, If you have gastroesophageal reflux disease or gastroesophageal reflux disease, you may have additional sleep problems. “
Acid reflux is when the muscles at the bottom of your esophagus malfunction, causing food to flow back up into your stomach.
Lying down after a large meal or certain types of food can make symptoms worse.
On average, adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night, according to the NHS.
It might be worth checking to see if your diet is interfering with your sleep.
However, it’s worth noting that everyone’s body is different, and foods that affect you may not necessarily affect others.
Gabriel and other nutritionists say the following foods are the most common culprits that affect sleep:
pizza
Overly processed junk food is certainly not good for sleep.
However, pizza is particularly bad because it’s high in saturated fat and sodium, which is a double whammy.
“Foods high in saturated fat, such as fried foods such as butter, ice cream and French fries, should be avoided at night,” Gabriel said.
A small study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine in January 2016 found that 26 normal-weight adults who typically slept seven to nine hours per night consumed saturated fat throughout the day. It was found that sleep was light and resulted in ‘low resilience’.
“Many highly processed foods are also high in salt, which can wake you up in the middle of the night for a drink,” said Bonnie Taub-Dix, also a nutritionist.
smoothie
Excessive sugar intake is associated with many health problems, such as diabetes, weight gain, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, and can also make it difficult to sleep.
While avoiding causative substances such as chocolate, donuts, pies, desserts, and sodas before bed is common knowledge, smoothies may seem like a healthy snack.
BMJ Open released a study in March 2016 looking at beverages being marketed to children in the UK and found them packaged. Smoothie products contain more sugar on average One serving (about two and a half teaspoons) is more appropriate than juice.
About 40% of the products tested were found to contain nearly four teaspoons of sugar.
“Sugar is responsible for many of our health problems, so it’s probably not surprising that it’s on the list of foods to avoid at bedtime,” says Taub-Dix. .
Refined sugar, she added, can cause blood sugar spikes and adrenaline surges that can make it difficult to fall asleep.
Gabrielle adds, ‘If you’re hungry before bed, you can eat complex carbs and proteins like whole grain toast or bananas and Greek yogurt.
“Try an open sandwich on whole wheat bread with peanut butter or almond butter.
“While almond and peanut butters are high in protein and rich in healthy unsaturated fats, whole grain breads have more fiber and complex carbohydrates than white breads, and can improve blood sugar levels during sleep. stabilize.”
A study published in the journal Cureus in February 2019 found that bananas are rich in potassium, magnesium, and fiber, all of which have been found to help you sleep better, so you can eat: Optimal.
cheese
Gabriel said the protein in cheese provides tryptophan, an amino acid that helps you relax and sleep, but not all cheeses do.
Rich and aged cheeses, such as cheddar, gruyere, and parmesan, are high in the heart-rate-boosting amino acid tyramine, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“If you’re looking for something creamy before bed, try a few crackers with almond butter instead,” Gabriel said.
Studies show that these foods contain magnesium and may help relieve insomnia.
hot sauce
Hot and spicy foods can cause acid reflux.
Dr. Taub-Dix says, “Acid reflux is more likely to occur during recumbent sleep, when stomach acid and the food being digested can mix and flow back up through the esophagus.”
“Many people are finding that eating spicy foods can have these effects during the day as well, let alone at bedtime where the negative effects can be even worse.”
Who If you eat spicy food for dinner, wait three hours before you go to bed To avoid worsening acid reflux that can occur from lying down.
“This causes digestion and allows the contents of the stomach to move into the small intestine,” Gabriel said.
“This may help prevent issues like heartburn and insomnia at night, as well as spicy foods.”
According to some studies, foods containing capsaicin, which is responsible for the spiciness of spices, Increased body temperature can interfere with sleep.