Difficulty sleeping and lack of sleep can have a negative impact on overall health. Lack of sleep can affect cognitive function, including memory, attention and thinking ability. You feel more stressed and irritable when you don't get enough sleep. Lack of sleep also makes the body weaker and more easily infected with disease.

Consuming certain foods and drinks before bedtime can affect sleep quality, so it is important to avoid them to ensure better sleep.

Foods and drinks that should be avoided before bed

Several types of food and drinks should be avoided before bed, including:

Alcoholic beverages

Alcohol has a sedative effect that can make people feel relaxed and sleepy. However, consuming excessive amounts of alcohol can disrupt sleep patterns and quality.

In addition, drinking alcohol can increase the risk of sleep apnea symptoms, such as breathing pauses during sleep. This can disturb deep sleep, leading to feelings of tiredness despite getting enough sleep.

Spicy food

Consuming spicy foods close to bedtime can interfere with sleep and cause various digestive disorders, including stomach pain, acid reflux, and gastric acid irritation. Spicy foods tend to stimulate the production of stomach acid, which can cause discomfort and a burning sensation in the throat, making it difficult to fall asleep.

Spicy foods can also temporarily increase body temperature. According to research, increasing body temperature before bed can affect sleep quality.

Read more: Why Does Eating Spicy Food Make You Addicted?

Foods and drinks that contain caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant that can increase feelings of alertness and make you more alert. Consuming food or drinks containing caffeine before bed can affect the quality of your sleep and make it difficult for you to fall asleep.

Caffeine is found not only in coffee but in various other foods and drinks such as tea, chocolate, energy drinks, and several soft drinks and cakes.

Sweet foods with a high glycemic index

Foods with a high glycemic index and sugary may cause rapid spikes and drops in blood sugar levels. This can trigger the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which can disrupt the quality of your sleep. When these hormones are released, they can cause various symptoms such as anxiety, hunger, and irritability.

Read more: Is It Delicious For Sweet Food? This Is A Healthy Choice To Relax Sugar Crving

Fatty foods

Research shows that intake of fatty foods, especially saturated fat, can have a negative impact on sleep patterns. Those who like to eat heavy and fatty foods at night often suffer from insomnia.

The digestive tract slows down during sleep. Eating fatty foods can burden the digestive system and cause stomach discomfort and difficulty sleeping. In addition, high-fat foods also worsen acid reflux symptoms, which can cause discomfort and difficulty sleeping.

If you have difficulty sleeping during this time, try to avoid the foods and drinks mentioned previously, especially near bedtime. However, if your efforts do not improve sleep quality, then there is no harm in consulting a doctor and conveying your complaints.

If you need medical advice or consultation, you can either visit a doctor or use the consultation features available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.

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