If you are having these foods before sleeping, you may develop several health issues from sleep problems to chronic diseases.
Many of us tend to have heavy meals at dinner time or unwind our day with tea or coffee, because that is the time when we are usually free of work worries. But when we are not mindful of what we are consuming at night, instead of having a relaxed and recuperative rest, we may have trouble falling asleep or interrupted sleep. If over a period of time, we do not fix our night time eating habits, we are at risk of developing certain chronic diseases like diabetes, blood pressure among other things, according to experts.
Late meals, particularly play havoc with our overall health, increasing chances of obesity, heart diseases and stroke.
According to Shruti Bharadwaj, Senior Clinical Dietician, Narayana Hrudalaya Multi Speciality Hospital Ahmedabad, here are the foods that one should not have at bedtime for better health:
1. Fried food
Indulging in high-calorie food that puts strain on your digestive system like potato chips, French fries, burger can interrupt with your sleep. You may face gastric troubles, constipation and other such issues. “If you are eating these calorie-laden things late at night, water retention problem may occur, especially in case of women because of the hormonal changes in their body. One sign of water retention is feeling tightness in your skin upon waking up but feeling okay after some time,” says Bharadwaj.
2. Spicy Food
If you are eating late especially all kinds of spicy foods should be avoided as your meal being closer to bed time will cause discomfort and your digestive system may find it difficult breaking down the food.
3. Sweets
Having desserts after your dinner frequently may not be a good idea as being loaded with sugar they may lead to sleep troubles. Sweets consumption during night can also impact your insulin resistance because after dinner in absence of much physical activity, over a period of time it could increase your chances of developing Diabetes, says Bharadwaj.
4. Tea & Coffee
Many people, especially students tend to have tea and coffee to stay awake at night. While it may seem to help during short term in feeling active, in long run it could lead to insomnia, anxiety, poor sleep quality etc.
5. Alcohol
Unwinding the day with alcohol could seem tempting as it causes brain activity to slow down being a central nervous system depressant and may have some sedative effect, but in long run it has been linked to poor sleep quality and duration, according to studies.
