Table of contents:
- Can I eat before bed?
- Foods that can be consumed before bed
- 1. Milk
- 2. Bananas
- 3. Sweet potatoes and potatoes
- 4. Honey
- 5. Foods containing lycopene
- Foods to avoid before bed
- 1. Stimulants
- 2. Fatty foods
- 3. Spicy food
- 4. Dark chocolate
- 5, Chicken
Sleep is one of everyone's favorite activities. Unfortunately, certain factors can interfere with the quality of a person's sleep, causing you to experience difficulty sleeping or insomnia. However, did you know if what you eat before bed also affects the quality of sleep?
Can I eat before bed?
A study from Northwestern University cited by webMD found that eating at night contributes to up to twofold weight gain, even when the total calories consumed are the same. Unfortunately, the research was limited to mice, not humans. But despite these uncertainties, eating too close to bedtime can indeed lead to indigestion and sleep problems.
Even though you shouldn't eat too close to bedtime, that doesn't mean you have to sleep hungry. If you feel hungry at night, make sure you know what foods before bed are healthy and unhealthy.
Foods that can be consumed before bed
1. Milk
Drinking a glass of warm milk or herbal tea before bed can help your body produce melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the wake and sleep cycle. Melatonin production can help the body send signals to the brain so that the body is ready for sleep.
2. Bananas
Eating a banana before bed can help you sleep soundly, because bananas contain natural muscle relaxants such as magnessium, potassium, amino acid tryptophan, and vitamin B6 which can help you reduce difficulty sleeping or insomnia.
3. Sweet potatoes and potatoes
Sweet potatoes and potatoes contain complex carbohydrates that aid sleep, and potassium which contributes to muscle relaxation.
4. Honey
Honey can help relax you and make it easier to sleep at night. The natural sugar content in honey can increase insulin and tryptophane. So, eating a tablespoon of honey before bed can help you sleep soundly.
5. Foods containing lycopene
Lycopene is a type of antioxidant found in red or orange fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, oranges, watermelon, papaya, and others. Taking lycopene before bed can make you sleep better.
Foods to avoid before bed
While foods that are not recommended for consumption before bed are:
1. Stimulants
Stimulants like caffeine and sugar can make it harder for you to sleep. So, try to reduce or even avoid caffeine or sugar before you plan to sleep. Don't drink tea or coffee for at least a few hours before bed. In addition, you also need to avoid smoking and alcohol before bed because they will not help you sleep.
2. Fatty foods
Fatty foods such as burgers, ice cream, or other fast food can produce acid in the stomach. In fact, the stratospheric fat content in fast food can stimulate the production of stomach acid in the stomach, which can lead to heartburn. Of course, this can disturb your sleep.
3. Spicy food
Consuming spicy food before bed can cause indigestion which can disrupt your sleep. This is caused by capcaisin, the active ingredient in chilies that can affect sleep through changes in body temperature.
4. Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate actually contains high levels of caffeine and theobromine which can keep you awake at night, especially if you are sensitive to caffeine.
5, Chicken
Chicken or other types of protein will be counterproductive if consumed at night. Eating lots of protein or chicken before bed will make digestion slower, so the time you should sleep on will actually be used to digest these foods.
