Food can be a frequent source of creating a chemical cause for insomnia. If you are suffering from insomnia on a nightly basis, you should verify your diet to see if there is a source that may be contributing to your sleepless nights. Coffee, soda, chocolate, desserts, and spicy foods can all be the culprit behind your night waking.
Here is a list of most important foods that can interfere with your sleep:
1. Alcohol may seem to help you fall asleep, it can disrupt your normal sleep pattern during the second
half of the night and leave you feeling unrested. It’s best to avoid alcohol before bedtime.
2. Nicotine. Nicotine is a stimulant that can keep you awake. Avoid smoking in the six hours before your bedtime.
3. Avoid bacon, cheese, chocolate, eggplant, ham, potatoes, sauerkraut, sugar, sausage, spinach, tomatoes, and wine close to bedtime. These foods contain tyramine, which increases the release of norepinephrine, a brain stimulant.
4. Sugar and foods high in sugar and refined carbohydrates. These raise blood-sugar levels and can cause a burst of energy that disturbs sleep.
5. Caffeine is a food that you must avoid for a healthy sleep. Avoid caffeine in all forms (tea, coffee, cola, chocolate).
6. Chinese food is a very common cause of insomnia. This is because of the high level of MSG stimulant used to cook the food. MSG can also be found in many seasonings, it is used as a preservative.
7. Foods that contain high levels of pesticides, preservatives and other artificial additives may also cause insomnia. These are all unnatural chemicals that require more work from your digestive tract.
8. Heavy meals actually keep one awake as the digestive system puts in some overtime. Avoid spicy and
fatty foods that cause heart burns.
9. Liquids. Avoid drinking fluids before bedtime to decrease the chance of having the urge to go to the bathroom during the night.
10. Some drugs that may affect your sleep: alertness medications, analgesics, antidepressants, arthritis medications, asthma medications, blood pressure medications, diet pills.
Maintain a healthy diet, and avoid troubling foods before bedtime to assure your body gets the sleep it needs!
I hope that no foods I eat contain “high levels of pesticides.” Anyways, nice simple, yet informative list to know and understand. Thanks for doing some research.