People who often suffer from insomnia should try to eat less of these 5 foods, and the more they eat, the more they can't sleep
Li Ming is busy every day, but every time he arrives at night, he can't sleep. This has been going on for some time, causing him to lose energy during the day and his productivity has dropped significantly.
That night, Li Ming lay on the bed again, staring at the ceiling in a daze. He was very irritable, and this insomnia was really a headache.
At this moment, his wife Wang Li turned over and said softly: "Li Ming, I see that you have been tossing and turning like this recently, is there something uncomfortable? I heard that eating the wrong thing at night can also make people unable to sleep." Think about it, did you eat something irritating last night?"
Li Ming listened to it and chuckled in his heart. He began to think back to the fact that he had really liked to eat something spicy lately. Could it really be the cause of these foods?
Insomnia is indeed a widespread problem that many people have suffered from at one time or another.
As an indispensable part of our daily life, food actually has a subtle impact on sleep. So, what foods can affect sleep?
01
Studies have shown that the food we consume directly affects our biological clock, which in turn affects the quality of sleep.
The biological clock, or circadian rhythm, is a complex system controlled by the hypothalamus in the brain.
The hypothalamus is responsible for telling us when we feel sleepy and when we are awake. When we eat certain foods, especially those that affect neurotransmitters, they can act directly on the hypothalamus, disrupting our biological clock.
For example, foods and caffeine drinks that are high in sugar can delay sleep by mistaking the brain for active time.
Conversely, eating some sleep-promoting foods, such as foods rich in tryptophan, can help produce the sleep hormone melatonin and adjust the sleep cycle.
Therefore, understanding the effect of food on sleep and adjusting your diet accordingly is essential to improve sleep quality.
02
1. Caffeinated drinks: stimulants at night
Caffeine is a widely used stimulant found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, and even certain medications.
It delays feelings of fatigue by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain, leaving us feeling refreshed. However, this refreshing effect can turn into a burden at night.
Caffeine has a half-life of about 5 to 6 hours, which means that the cup of coffee you drink in the evening may still be active in the body when it is time to go to bed, delaying the onset of sleep and potentially affecting the depth and quality of sleep.
2. Spicy food: the price of stimulation
Spicy foods can stimulate the taste buds and bring a momentary sense of pleasure, but this stimulation can also have a negative impact on night's sleep.
Capsaicin in food stimulates stomach acid secretion, stressing the stomach, causing stomach upset, stomach pain, and even heartburn, which are often worse at night and make it difficult to sleep.
In addition, spicy foods can also cause body temperature to rise, and the body needs to drop slightly in order to fall into a state of deep sleep.
Studies have shown that spicy foods have a particular impact on people who suffer from frequent insomnia. These foods activate the body's stress response and release adrenaline, which can make people feel excited and anxious, which can further worsen sleep quality.
3. High-protein foods: a challenge when digesting
Protein is an essential nutrient for the human body and is essential for health. However, consuming too much high-protein foods, such as steak, chicken breast, or soy products, at dinner can put a heavier digestive burden on the stomach, especially before bedtime.
The digestion of high-protein foods takes longer and more digestive enzymes, which can affect your sleep start time and sleep quality.
Scientific studies have shown that a high-protein dinner diet may increase the burden on the liver because amino acids, a byproduct of protein metabolism, need to be processed in the liver.
In addition, certain amino acids, such as tyrosine, can be converted into excitatory neurotransmitters such as dopamine in the body, which may keep the brain alert and not conducive to falling asleep.
Dinner should be done with a more digestible source of protein, such as lean meats or fish, and be sure not to overdo it to help with a better night's rest.
4. Sweets: sweet temptations
Sweets are often seen as foods that provide a sense of pleasure and comfort, especially at night.
However, the high sugar intake in sweets can quickly raise blood sugar levels and stimulate insulin secretion, a process that can adversely affect our sleep.
A rapid rise in blood sugar levels is followed by a rapid drop in energy, a "rollercoaster" type of blood sugar fluctuation that can make people feel energetic or exhausted, affecting the onset and duration of sleep.
Studies have shown a strong association between high-sugar diets and sleep disorders. Those who eat too much sugar are more likely to have trouble falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night, and poor sleep quality.
5. Greasy food: overburdened
Fatty foods, such as fried chicken, pizza, french fries, etc., are delicious and tempting, but their digestion process is extremely slow and laborious, requiring a large amount of digestive juices and pancreatic enzymes to break down.
This slow and complex digestion process often lasts late into the night, resulting in a heavy burden on the gastrointestinal tract and interfering with normal sleep patterns.
The digestion of greasy foods not only delays the onset of sleep, but may also affect the continuity and depth of sleep.
Choosing light, low-fat foods for dinner is key to promoting a good night's sleep, and food choices should favor vegetables, fine carbohydrates, and moderate amounts of protein to ensure that food can be digested more quickly before bedtime, helping the body to stay relaxed and comfortable at night, allowing for quick fall asleep and deep sleep.
03
The choice and timing of dinner has a direct impact on sleep, so to ensure a quality night's rest, it is advisable to choose easy-to-digest, low-fat and low-sugar foods for dinner, and to be careful not to eat too late.
Giving the body enough time to process food can help the body move more easily from a state of digestion to a state of rest and recovery by reducing the activity of the digestive system while lying down to rest.
Arrange dinner time wisely, avoid eating before going to bed, and it is recommended to keep at least three to four hours between dinner and bedtime.
In addition, a light walk after dinner or some light activities such as yoga or meditation can also help promote digestion and prepare for a restful evening.
After a period of dietary adjustments, Li Ming found that his sleep quality had improved significantly. He began to choose some light and easy to digest foods for dinner.
These changes have also refreshed his mental state and improved his work efficiency.
The relationship between food and sleep is indeed close and complex, in order to have a restful night and a healthy body, we should pay more attention to our eating habits, hoping that everyone can have a healthy and restful night.