Insomnia is a common sleep disorder.
With insomnia, you may have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or
getting good quality sleep. This happens even if you have the time and
the right environment to sleep well. Insomnia can get in the way of your
daily activities and may make you feel sleepy during the day.
If you find yourself struggling to go to sleep or to stay asleep, you’ll want to take a look at your diet. Going to bed on an empty stomach drops blood sugar levels and interferes with the body’s ability to sleep. However, there are certain foods that can run just as much interference with a good night’s sleep, and those are the ones you'll want to avoid.
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| Potato Chips: It’s no fun sitting down to enjoy your favorite TV show without a snack, but potato chips are the stuff of nightmares. That’s because they’re loaded with salt, which can dehydrate your body and make for sleep interruption. |
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Chocolate: Who doesn’t want to enjoy a bit of chocolate in the evening? However, chocolate is packed with caffeine, theobromine and sugar — the trifecta for keeping you wide awake.
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| Cheese: This comfort snack is considered one of the worst to consume before bed, as it contains high amounts of the amino acid tyramine, which makes you feel alert. Consuming strong cheeses like cheddar and Parmesan and increase your heart rate and causes your adrenal glands to release the “fight or flight” hormone, setting quite a challenge for a decent night’s sleep. |
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| Ice Cream: This is the go-to evening snack for a lot of people, but it’s one of the worst if you want to get a good night’s sleep. That’s because it sends your blood sugar levels spiking at first, and then crashes while you’re asleep. A crash in blood sugar alerts the adrenals that there’s an emergency, which, in turn, increases cortisol levels and awakens the body. |
