Many people feel the need for a little late-night snacking after dinner, and while it’s understandable, what you choose to eat can make a big difference in the kind of sleep you get.
Numerous health experts advise against late-night snacking, but it’s also essential to pay attention to your body’s hunger cues, so enjoying some post-dinner snacks can be harmless if you do it right. However, sleep is also extremely important, and when you eat certain things later into the night, they can prevent you from getting the good sleep you need, setting you up for a disruptive night and the following morning. We spoke with health experts, including registered dietitian Avery Zenker with DiabetesTeam and Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, PhD, a neuroscientist and sleep expert with Wesper, about five of the “worst” nighttime snacks that can disrupt your sleep. Read more about them below.
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1. Spicy Food
Interestingly, while spicy food can be fun to eat, eating it too close to bedtime can really mess up your sleep cycle. It can cause a series of digestive issues that, if they get too intense, can easily mess up your sleep and have you feeling it through the night.
"Spicy, acidic, and fatty foods irritate the stomach and esophagus, increasing the risk of heartburn, indigestion, and acid reflux that disrupts sleep," says Dr. Rohrscheib. "Examples include chili peppers, hot sauce, curry, tomatoes, tomato sauce, citrus fruits, vinegar-based dressings, fried foods, and fatty meats."
2. Deep-Fried Foods
A lot of people have some fried foods on hand in their fridge and freezers, and because of how crunchy, delicious, and flavorful it is, it can be tempting to eat them late at night. However, dietitians recommend avoiding them right before bed.
"Consuming high-fat, salty, or fried snacks before bed is linked to sleep problems such as more awakenings during the night, lower sleep efficiency, and longer time to fall asleep," explains Zenker. "These foods can cause bloating and discomfort, disturb sleep continuity, and are linked with increased risks of metabolic disturbances such as diabetes. Diets high in fat, especially from fried foods, have been associated with increased nighttime awakenings and reduced sleep efficiency."
3. Ice Cream
For many people, their final meal of the day is a serving of ice cream. It's one of today's most popular desserts, and it's super accessible, so there are a lot of families having it in their freezers. Sure, some ice cream after dinner won't hurt from time to time, but consistently having it right before bed can be harmful to your health.
"Ice cream is high in fat and sugar, while being low in protein and fiber," notes Zenker. "The fat content slows digestion, potentially causing discomfort and indigestion when lying down, while the sugar content raises blood glucose quickly, which can disrupt sleep. Research finds that dairy and high-fat desserts can lead to stomach discomfort and disrupted sleep onset and maintenance."
4. High-Fiber Vegetables
It might sound funny to hear someone say you shouldn't eat vegetables, but as it turns out, eating super high-fiber vegetables right before bed can irritate your stomach and mess up your sleep.
"While fiber is healthy, consuming large portions of foods containing high levels of insoluble fibers, such as tough vegetables and legumes, before bedtime can cause bloating, gas, and abdominal discomfort," explains Dr. Rohrscheib. "This includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds."
5. Candy
Like ice cream, candy is another treat people like to indulge in right before bed. However, candy is notorious for raising your blood sugar levels and causing a glucose spike, which may impact your sleep more than you realize. Therefore, it's not a great idea to eat it right before you want to fall asleep.
"Candy and other sweets are high in simple sugar, leading to spikes and drops in blood glucose," says Zenker. "Research has shown that these fluctuations can lead to restlessness and increased awakenings during the night. High sugar intake before bed is also linked to more frequent nightmares and poor overall sleep quality, according to studies on diet and sleep. Multiple studies indicate that eating more sweets and drinking sugary sodas before bed correlates with more sleep difficulties, including poorer sleep quality and shorter sleep duration."
