Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Diane Atwood
It’s coffee that will rob me of sleep. Unfortunately, it’s a lesson that I keep on learning — the hard way.
If I have a cup first thing in the morning and another no later that one in the afternoon, I’m usually OK. But sometimes I “forget” to say no, especially when my husband brews up a fresh pot when he gets home from work. It’s hard to resist!
I know I’m not the only one who has figured out that coffee can lead to a sleepless night. If you’ve been suffering from insomnia, maybe you should take a close look at what you eat before you go to bed.
Caffeine-laced coffee isn’t the only culprit. And by the way, decaf coffee usually contains just enough caffeine to keep some people awake, especially if they’re caffeine sensitive.
Let’s add a few more items to the caffeine list:
* Chocolate. The darker the chocolate the more caffeine it contains. If you MUST have a nibble before you say goodnight, make it milk chocolate. * Soda. It contains caffeine, and the bubbles may be irritating and could lead to reflux once you’ve stretched out and rested your head against the pillow.
Other things that might keep you up all night:
* Spicy food can cause heartburn and also raise your core body temperature, which has been linked to a bad night’s sleep.
* High fiber vegetables, like broccoli and cauliflower, too close to bedtime may cause you to toss and turn as your digestive system works overtime trying to digest the fiber.
* Foods with a high water content — celery, cucumbers, watermelon, radishes — are natural diuretics, which means they make you pee, maybe all night long.
* A nightcap may make you drowsy enough to get to sleep, but it’s apt to wake you up several times during the night. Alcohol also robs you of REM or rapid eye movement sleep, which we need for concentration, memory and motor skills.
* Finally, a high-fat meal may cause eight hours of indigestion and heartburn instead of eight hours of shuteye.
hat can you eat if you’re hungry before bedtime?
Registered dietitian Kit Broihier has some recommendations: “A small bowl of lower-sugar cereal/oatmeal and low-fat milk is what I often suggest if someone really needs a bedtime snack,” she says. “This combo contains nutrients (unlike lots of other snack-type foods that folks might nosh on before bed) and isn’t difficult to digest (provided you’re not lactose intolerant).”
In general, you should try not to eat too close to bedtime, says Broihier. If you give your body a few hours to digest dinner, you’ll be more able to relax AND sleep come bedtime.
Do you have a bedtime snack ritual that helps you sleep all night long? Cup of warm milk maybe? Please share your secret.
Nighty night and sweet dreams!
Diane Atwood was the health reporter for many years on WCSH6. Now she is a blogger and podcaster at Catching Health with Diane Atwood, dianeatwood.com.
