When I was younger, I never thought about having a rough’s night sleep. I slept like a baby and didn’t understand why some people complained about not sleeping well. As I edge towards 50, I now understand what it is to lose sleep.
So are there some dos and don’ts to getting a good night’s sleep? There certainly is when it comes to food.
A lot of times when you can’t sleep, you may think heading for a midnight snack will help make you sleepy. You should avoid preserved and smoked meats. So that means no ham sandwich or leftover bacon or sausage as a snack. Why? That is because these meats contain amino acid tyramine, which triggers the brain stimulant norepinephrine.
Another thing you shouldn’t grab as a late night snack is chocolate. Yes, it is yummy, and gooey, and soothing, but it contains caffeine and tyrosine, another stimulating amino acid.
This one should be a no-brainer, but don’t grab what’s left of your energy drink and finish it off if you hope to go to dreamland any time soon. These drinks are so high in caffeine and taurine (another amino acid) that if you drink one early in the day, you still may have time going to sleep later that night.
You should also avoid spicy foods or foods that contain tomato sauce before going to bed. These can cause acid reflux, which can keep you awake.
You might not think that an alcoholic drink at dinner could keep you awake at night, but it may. Alcohol can dehydrate you, but also make you need to make a bathroom run during the night, which would wake you from your sleep.
Tomorrow, I will blog about a few foods that can actually help you get a good night’s sleep.