A good night’s sleep is crucial to a healthy lifestyle. It improves the body’s defenses, helps prevent injury, and improves mental health. But in the modern climate, it is becoming more and more difficult to get a good night’s sleep. Here are five types of food and drink to avoid if you want good quality sleep.
Coffee
It might sound obvious, but coffee is a stimulant and triggers the body to stay awake. Drinking coffee anytime after midday can interrupt your sleep pattern.
Alcohol
People often associate alcohol with sleep. While it is true that alcohol can help you get to sleep, it prevents good quality. Drinking too much alcohol can disrupt your sleep patterns and stifle REM cycles.
Fatty Foods
Fatty foods are hard for your body to digest. Eating them shortly before bed puts enormous strain on your digestive system, which disrupts good quality sleep.
Cheese
It is a common proverb that eating cheese before bed will give you nightmares. In fact, there is some truth to this. Cheese contains the amino acid tyramine which acts as a stimulant, making your body alert at bedtime.
Spicy Food
Like fatty food, spicy food is difficult to digest. This can interrupt sleep patterns, make it hard to drift off, and induce a light sleep rather than a heavy slumber.
