Nowadays, many of us enjoy a nightlife. However, due to our delayed sleep schedules, we often have an extra meal at night. But it's important to note that this meal shouldn't be随意 (random), and not all foods are suitable for consumption at this time. Let's discuss which foods are not recommended for late-night snacking.
1. Salty Foods
Salty foods generally refer to those rich in sodium. It's crucial to control your salt intake when eating at night. Since the time between your late-night meal and sleep is short, excessive sodium can lead to an increased concentration of sodium in the blood. This can cause cells to lose water, leading to increased urination—similar to drinking a large amount of water before bed. This might result in waking up to use the bathroom, disrupting your sleep quality.
2. Large Amounts of Milk or Herbal Tea
Most research suggests that the calcium and tryptophan in milk have a sedative effect, and herbal teas can also aid sleep. However, becoming overly dependent on these sleep aids can lead to overconsumption. Drinking too much milk or herbal tea can not only cause you to wake up to use the bathroom, affecting your sleep, but it might also create anxiety about needing to get up in the middle of the night, which in turn can harm your sleep quality.
3. Sweets
Eating sweets at night is a major taboo for weight loss. If you consume sweets before bed, the energy that could have been burned is instead stored as fat because your body enters a state where it doesn't expend energy. Furthermore, eating sweets before bed raises blood sugar levels. Maintaining a high blood sugar state for an extended period can damage the kidneys and nerve endings. Additionally, sweets can affect the secretion of growth hormone, which promotes muscle and bone growth and aids in fat breakdown. If this hormone's secretion is hindered, fat storage becomes easier, and overall physical development can be impaired.
4. Greasy Foods
Greasy foods are high in fat and calories and take a long time to digest. This can lead to prolonged high blood sugar levels. Therefore, eating greasy foods before bed might result in heartburn or indigestion the next morning. It's best to limit your intake of greasy foods before sleeping.
5. Alcohol
As is well known, drinking alcohol before bed often leads to light sleep. This is due to the inhibitory effect of alcohol on the central nervous system. After drinking, one might feel stimulated, but the nervous system is actually shutting down, which can cause drowsiness. However, alcohol is not an anesthetic, and this inhibitory effect wears off quickly. After that, the body can enter an excited state, leading to light and disrupted sleep.
I believe many of us eat the foods mentioned above before bed. However, long-term consumption can not only affect our figures but also our health. Therefore, it's best to choose foods that are easy to digest and have no side effects.