Avoid these 5 foods for a better sleep

05-05-2020

You know you need to put your mobile phone and tablet aside at least an hour before you sleep. You also know that you get the best sleep in a cool, dark room. Still, you have difficulty falling asleep. It may be worth paying attention to what you eat because some foods can cause sleep problems. Sleep is crucial for your body to function. Lack of sleep can affect both your immune system and cognitive functions such as memory and learning abilities.

It may seem obvious, but it's still worth mentioning. The refreshing caffeine in the coffee disturbs your inner alarm clock, and therefore it matters when you drink the last cup of coffee. Studies recommend that you stop drinking coffee 5-6 hours before you plan to sleep. If you find it hard to give up the coffee replace it with decaf coffee. Remember there is also caffeine in black and green tea, energy drinks, cola and chocolate.

A bowl of sweets before bedtime can disturb your sleep. Studies show that the more sugar people eat, the more they wake up at night. However, it is okay to eat fruit sugar as a ‘late-night-meal' like apple and pears, and even better if you supplement with proteins and healthy fats such as almonds, avocado and cottage cheese.

Spicy food is good for many reasons. It helps boost your metabolism, reduce inflammation and inhibit the growth of cancer cells. But it might be a good idea to steer clear of spicy food just before bedtime. Studies show that if you consume spicy food 4-5 hours before bedtime, it is harder to fall asleep and it will shorten deep sleep. This is because ‘capsaicin’ found in spicy foods causes the body temperature to rise. So, eat the spicy dishes long before you go to sleep.

It takes a lot of energy to break down high-fat foods. A diet with a high content of saturated fat, such as butter, bacon, cream and deep-fried food makes it difficult to fall asleep and also shortens the deep sleep. So, go for lighter meals before going to bed such as salads and soups.

For most seafarers, it is unnecessary to mention alcohol, but we’ll do it anyway. Alcohol is NOT your friend if you want a good sleep. Just a single glass of alcohol has an impact on your deep and restorative sleep. Obviously, the more alcohol you drink, the worse sleep you will get.

It is a good idea to keep a "sleep diary" containing your food intake during the day. In this way, you can find the connection between your sleep quality and diet. In this way, you can adapt your diet to a better sleep.

(sources: www.videnskab.dk, Medical Doctor Poul Jennum and the US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health)