Improve Sleep Quality By Eliminating These Common Nighttime Snacks

If you are ready to start making some positive changes to your nighttime routine in order to get better quality of sleep and rest for the next day, there are some habits that you will want to start to pick up, as well as some habits that you will want to drop immediately. If you have a tendency to snack on something after dinner and shortly before bed, you really should keep on reading to learn about why this may be contributing to a lack of quality sleep that you more than likely have been noticing and experiencing. Truth be told, I also tend to snack before bed, but after coming across an article by She Knows that reveals which foods harm sleep quality, I realized the importance of snacking smart, so as to promote sleep rather than prevent it. 

This may already seem a bit obvious, but if you find yourself heating up a slice of leftover cold pizza before bed, you may now know the culprit that is robbing you of sleep. Greasy, fatty foods like pizza are difficult for the body to digest enough as is. When you go to bed while the body is still trying to digest these foods, you will more than likely experience heartburn, indigestion, and even stomachaches, which will leave you tossing and turning all night. The same holds true for acidic foods such as tomatoes and oranges, so keep foods that are greasy and acidic strictly a daytime snack.

You may be thinking that switching to healthier snacking habits at night is a good thing, but believe it or not, some healthy foods can actually interrupt your sleep. Broccoli, for example, increases the production of gas in your intestinal tract, which can cause stomach cramps in the middle of the night. The same holds true for brussels sprouts and cauliflower as well. 

As for drinking before bed, well, it's best to just not do it. Youmay think that one glass of wine before bed helps you get to sleep, and you are right, in a sense. Alcohol can make falling asleep easier, but it will also make staying asleep that much more difficult. Avoid alcohol in the three hours before bed. As for water, stop drinking it an hour before going to sleep, and be sure to use the bathroom before drifting off, since you don't want to wake up in the middle of the night rushing to the bathroom.

Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Deb Nystrom