How long should you wait after dinner before going to bed?
Sleep accounts for about one-third of a person's life, yet more than a third of people complain of poor sleep. There are many reasons for poor sleep, such as a fast-paced life, high mental stress, and the effects of illness... but people often overlook one factor: eating wrong can also disrupt your sleep.
Foods that Don't Mix with Sleep
An improper dinner can also affect sleep. Here are some foods that are not conducive to sleep:
Foods that stimulate the brain. Coffee, strong tea, cola, and other beverages or foods containing caffeine or theophylline are not suitable for consumption before bedtime. It is well-known that caffeine can be energizing, and for some people who are particularly sensitive to caffeine, the stimulating effect may last longer. In addition, caffeine has a diuretic effect; drinking too much coffee can easily lead to increased urination, which can also interfere with sleep.
Foods that irritate the gastrointestinal tract or cause abdominal bloating. Consuming too many bloating foods like spicy foods, soy products, onions, potatoes, carbonated drinks, etc., can cause digestive discomfort and a churning stomach, making it naturally difficult to fall asleep.
Alcohol. Drinking a little alcohol may make it easier to fall asleep in the short term, but in the long run, the central nervous system develops a tolerance, requiring more alcohol to achieve the same effect; otherwise, the degree of insomnia will be worse. If you often drink for social occasions or binge drink at night, excessive alcohol affects the absorption and utilization of vitamin B1, which can eventually lead to neuritis caused by B1 deficiency, with symptoms such as numbness in the fingers.
Some people have designated "sleep-inducing wine" as red wine. In fact, red wine only has more antioxidants than other alcoholic beverages; apart from that, it is no different (the daily alcohol intake for adult men should not exceed 25 grams, equivalent to 750ml of beer, 250ml of wine, or 75ml of 38-degree liquor; for women, it should not exceed 15 grams, equivalent to 450ml of beer, 150ml of wine, or 50ml of 38-degree liquor).
Dinner and sleep should be best separated by 4 hours
Among urban white-collar workers, there is often a poor eating habit—neglecting breakfast, having a casual lunch, and a lavish dinner. In fact, such a diet is very unhealthy for the body. Taking dinner as an example, Zhao Yongyi believes that dinner should be lighter and less substantial, with a moderate amount of protein, rather than a lot of rich food. Among carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, fat is the most difficult to digest and stays in the stomach the longest. If you consume a large amount of fatty foods at dinner, gastric emptying often takes more than 4 hours. By the time it's time to go to bed, the digestive system is still working hard. This signal is sent to the brain, which can cause the brain to become active, leading to insomnia.
Similarly, not eating enough at dinner and being too hungry can also affect sleep. Therefore, you can have some millet porridge or a few crackers with milk half an hour before bedtime.
Experts suggest that it is best to have a 4-hour gap between dinner and sleep, and try to avoid overeating before bed. If you must have a late-night snack, you should choose light liquid or semi-liquid foods.
Drink a glass of sweet milk half an hour before bed
Warm milk has always been thought to induce sleep. Zhao Yongyi says that the best sleep-inducing food is warm, sweet milk. Because warm milk can cause gastric congestion and promote the absorption of tryptophan; adding sugar can help tryptophan cross the blood-brain barrier, sending a signal of relaxation and sleep to the brain. Therefore, warm, sweet milk is called an "effective hypnotic," while plain milk and yogurt have a poorer sleep-inducing effect. Experts believe that drinking milk about half an hour before bed generally yields the best results. However, this method is only suitable for people who are underweight or of normal weight, and is not applicable to obese or overweight individuals. In addition, other foods rich in tryptophan include millet, cheese, pumpkin seeds, dried scallops, shiitake mushrooms, sunflower seeds, black sesame, soybeans, and eggs.