Your last cup of coffee was so long ago it seems like yesterday, you’ve stopped drinking on weeknights.
You had your Sleepytime tea, popped your melatonin, you’ve got your sleep mask, your whale sounds app — so why the $%#! can’t you fall asleep, already?
There could be other aspects of your diet you haven’t considered that are keeping you awake at night, according to sleep specialists.
A handful of doctors spoke to HuffPost on the subject — here are some of the most common culprits that those struggling with sleep should be steering clear of, at least before bedtime.
Skip the spicy foods at dinner time
Say no to hot wings at the bar, or a curry at your favorite Indian restaurant, said Dr. Abhinav Singh, a board-certified sleep medicine and internal medicine doctor, medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center and medical reviewer for Sleep Foundation.
Spicy foods, Singh told HuffPost, especially if you’re not used to eating them, can lead to acid reflux, one of sleep’s worst enemies.
Dr. Ruchir P. Patel, a sleep medicine doctor and medical director of The Insomnia and Sleep Institute of Arizona, concurred.
“Eating spicy food close to going to bed can cause acid reflux, which can trigger the brain to wake up excessively,” he said.
Late night pizza — or anything with tomato — is a no
Tomato, unfortunately, is a major trigger for acid reflux, Singh said — a big Italian dinner, or a takeout pizza with your Saturday night movie, can work against your efforts to get to sleep later. Of course, with the price of a pizza in NYC in 2024, maybe you’ll skip it anyway.
Leave at least a three hour window to get to bed, said Patel — especially if your pizza had a cured meat on it, like pepperoni. In general, he advised, foods high in sodium and saturated fat (like pizza) should be eaten as early as possible in the evening.
Leave the burgers for lunch time
Beef takes the body longer to digest, so beware of cheeseburgers, particularly if they’re dripping in reflux-triggering ketchup, Singh said.
Of course, you could try another kind of burger — something in the veggie or vegan department, the expert advised.
Your ice cream is problematic
Any dessert high in sugar is going to mess with your sleep if eaten too late at night, Dr. Raj Dasgupta, chief medical adviser for Sleep Advisor, told HuffPost.
“The high sugar content can cause fluctuations in your blood sugar, cause stomach issues and keep you alert at bedtime, preventing you from relaxing and falling asleep,” he said.
Beware of chocolate ice cream in particular, Singh chimed in.
“Many people don’t know that chocolate has caffeine,” he said.
Milk (at bedtime) is for kids and cats
Glass of milk before bed? That’s kid stuff, said Patel.
“Milk can trigger acid reflux,” he pointed out, in both children and adults, thanks to lactose.
If warm, frothy milk in the evening is a must, try oat milk, or something else plant-based, Patel suggested.
Flavored waters can often contain caffeine
Everyone knows to steer clear of caffeine before bedtime, but trendy flavored drinks like Vitaminwater can pack a whopping amount of caffeine — and you might not even know it, said Patel. Make sure to check the labels, even in electrolyte drinks and powder-based flavor packs, Singh added.
Peppermint’s secret revenge
A cup of mint tea before bedtime — sounds like the perfect insomnia fighter, no? Not necessarily, Singh warns — peppermint can trigger acid reflux, and most people don’t even know. (Now you do.)
Here’s what to eat instead
No fat, no spice, no sweet — nothing fun. Got it. What to eat, instead? The experts agree — stick to complex carbs high in fiber, like brown rice, lentils, whole wheat bread, along with lean proteins like chicken and fish.
These foods are all friendly on the digestive tract, which means better sleep, said Dasgupta.
Timing is also important, said Singh. The closer you get to bedtime, the smaller the meal should be. A late night snack should be under 300 calories.
“A handful of nuts is a good nighttime snack because it has fiber and unsaturated fats,” he said.
