There’s nothing more frustrating than being exhausted and not being able to fall asleep. We’ve all been there, watching the clock as minutes turn into hours and all you can think about is how tired you’ll feel the next day. But it turns out, some of the things we eat on a regular basis could be negatively impacting our sleep. To rest better, you may want to reconsider eating these foods that could ruin your sleep.

●Refined carbs - Regularly chowing down on highly processed carbohydrates isn’t just bad for your waistline, your sleep could suffer, too. A 2020 study of more than 77-thousand postmenopausal women finds that those with higher intakes of high-glycemic index foods, including sugar and refined grains, have higher rates of insomnia than those who ate fewer of these foods.

●Spicy foods - If you like it hot, it could keep you from a restful night’s sleep. In one study, participants who consumed Tabasco sauce and mustard at dinner took longer to fall asleep and got less of both stage two and deep sleep.

●Fried food - They’re not great for your health and research finds they may cause trouble for your sleep as well. A study of adults who typically slept between seven and nine hours a night found a high saturated fat intake is linked with lighter sleep, more waking during the night and less restful sleep overall.

●Chocolate - We don’t think of our after-dinner treat as having a lot of caffeine, but there’s still enough in chocolate that it could disrupt sleep for some. For example, a Scharrffen Berger 82% Extra Dark Chocolate Bar contains 84 milligrams of caffeine, which is not much less than the approximately 95 milligrams of caffeine found in an eight-ounce cup of brewed coffee.

●Alcohol - You might want to rethink that nightcap because it may relax you and make you feel sleepy, but it can significantly affect your ability to sleep well. A study of healthy adults finds those who drank alcohol reduced the amount of REM sleep they got, both for normal sleepers and those with insomnia.

HT: Eat This, Not That

Toby Knapp

About Toby Knapp