Sleepless nights are an age-old problem. However, in recent times, we see the youth struggling to get even an hour of sleep even though they have worked all day long. This has adverse effects on their daily life.
Sleep deprivation can lead to being moody, losing focus, and being extremely lazy and tired.
There could be a lot of reasons for this problem, but let’s focus on one root cause that is becoming increasingly alarming; Food & Drink.
It is not news that diet and sleep are key factors to good health, but the intricate connection between them is often neglected. There are some meals and drinks that you consume that make it almost impossible to get any sleep. As surprising as it may seem, it is a proven fact. If you are interested in wellness and lifestyle, then you can head on to allshapes.net and get some amazing blogs to wade through.
Here are some things you need to consider if you struggle with insomnia or just suddenly sleepless nights.
1. The Caffeine In-Take
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Caffeine was made to keep you awake. That means you already know having too much of it or consuming it at the wrong hours will lead you to no sleep whatsoever!
Caffeine has the potential to disturb your sleep. The stimulant’s most noticeable impact is that it might make it difficult to fall asleep.
Caffeine has also been linked to a delay in the timing of your biological clock, according to one research. These side effects will shorten your overall sleep time.
It helps us feel more awake by inhibiting the synthesis of brain chemicals that instruct our bodies to sleep. This provides enough understanding, doesn’t it?
This stimulant however affects everybody differently. Some might have 5 cups of coffee and still get great sleep. How would you know if it’s okay for you?
The best thing is to never have too much of it anyway. Even if you consume caffeine whether in coffee or coke, make sure you track its effects with and without it.
2. The Added Spice
Most of us love some good spice in our meals. As great as it makes your food taste, too much spice can create a bland sleep cycle.
Eating such meals shortly before bedtime can produce indigestion and severe aches, making falling asleep nearly difficult.
As capsaicin is a key component, chilli and spices alike, they seem to affect sleep in different ways while also increasing body temperature. They have the tendency to make you restless when sleeping too.
Our favourite dishes come with a lot of chillies, without which we seem to look away from food. We all need that spice, but how much of it we intake is important to note.
No, you don’t have to give up spicy food completely. You can enjoy a hot load for lunch. Just make sure that it is consumed hours before you hit the bed.
3. The Fried Foods
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Take care of these amazing greasy foods. They look good, they taste good, but they could be the cause of your no-sleep nights!
Fried meals full of fats are the greatest cause of heartburn. If this sounds familiar, you’d know that late-night heartburns almost get you thinking that you’re having a heart attack. Sooner or later, they definitely might cause one.
For now, let’s understand how this affects our sleeping pattern. Fried Foods seem to mess with your stomach, causing you to make unending trips to the bathroom in the night that disturbs your sleep. Besides indigestion, they make you crave for more fatty foods, while you struggle to take a nap.
You have to avoid meals that are covered with oil or are crispy especially when you consume them before bedtime. French Fries are an example of this category of foods that are out to kill.
These types of meals not only disrupt sleep but also take a longer time to digest. It’s just a big no-no to the body.
You will notice your body craving this kind of food right before sleeping and we make the big mistake of actually consuming them.
The best thing to do is ignore all mid-night cravings, but if you must have something then definitely keep your hands off fried foods.
4. The Sugar Rush
If you aren’t diabetic, you’re probably consuming a lot more sugar than you think.
Sugar has been a criminal for ages. It causes so many health issues that we’ve forgotten to keep count. You can often hear every doctor say ‘Cut back on the sugar’. Here is that line again!
It disrupts your sleep in such a manner that your lack of sleep leaves you desiring more sweets. This already sounds like a toxic relationship you have to move out of.
Excess sugar in your diet has a direct effect on your blood sugar levels. No surprise there.
This directly affects your energy levels throughout the day. Sugar immediately raises energy levels, but it also causes them to drop quickly.
So how does this affect sleep?
Those energy peaks and drops may cause you to grab more sugared caffeine drinks or anything sweet. You would sneak in untimely naps, or simply consume things you wouldn’t typically eat. This affects your sleep schedule, where you lose the concept of the right time to sleep.
According to a study, those who consumed a high-sugar diet were seen to sleep less and have more night-time restlessness.
5. The Water Consumption
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Here’s another common solution to most of your life’s problems; Drink more water!
Dehydration is such a huge problem we all face, just because we forget to sip some water amidst our crazy lifestyles. We sometimes go without drinking for hours.
While we do commonly think of water as a part of other bodily issues, we need to understand that it forms a major part of our diet and is linked to the way we sleep too.
Dehydration can make it difficult to sleep, and not getting enough sleep, as you know, might increase the likelihood of being dehydrated. It’s all interconnected.
At the same time, excessive fluid consumption might induce excessive urination, which can disrupt sleep.
It’s not just about less now, but it’s also maintaining a balance by not consuming too much.
Finding the right balance of water intake will improve your sleep for sure.
Summing Up:
Insufficient sleep due to a bad diet has been linked to many other issues like obesity, low brain function and many more. Do you see now why it is important to have a good diet for good sleep?
Recognizing the links between sleep and nutrition opens up possibilities for the better of both.
Besides the wrong diet components mentioned above, you must visit a doctor to understand your unique body and eating habits.
