There may be some show of concern about some foods that affect sleep. Good food – a well balanced diet and sleep are both needed to maintain a healthy life style. If a person is not getting the proper sleep that the body needs, it is natural to find out the reasons why such problem exists. If a health problem such as illness is ruled out, then the focus has to be on the food that the person eats.

It has been often said that moderation is the key to a healthy body. It has been proven that coffee or foods which contain caffeine should be avoided as much as possible. Too much of it is bad to your health. The same foods such as chocolate, tea, sodas or some medications that contain caffeine or some addictive additives contribute to loss of sleep.

Maybe it would be wise to remember some other foods that can affect sleep. One is eating meat – beef or pork which takes harder to digest especially if these are eaten a few hours before sleeping. Foods highly rich in fats, starches, oil and sweets like pizza, pasta, corn, bread, hamburger and fries should be avoided or at least eaten in moderation, because these can affect the digestive process. Foods heavy in sugar like pies, cookies and cakes also have negative effects to the digestive system of the body. If the digestive process does not function properly it would lead to constipation, gas, bloating or indigestion. Then because of this condition, the person would eventually experience loss of sleep.

We normally have to watch out what we eat, because the food that we take in can affect the liver and the colon which are two important internal organs of the body. These internal parts of the body if not functioning properly would cause sleep loss.

The practice of improper diet makes the person overweight; thus the person who is overweight has problems of sleep loss because of health conditions brought about by the excess weight.

It would be wise not to go to bed hungry. Just eat a light meal and be sure that the time of eating is not too near to the sleeping hours you have in mind. Remember to avoid big and heavy meals during night time. It takes time for foods to digest, so be always conscious of the eating time and the amounts of food that you eat.

There are certain foods that lead to loss of sleep. All we need to do is to remember most of them so we don’t have to encounter problems in our sleeping habits. Just always think of a well-balanced diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and some white meat like chicken, and you’ll be fine. Drink more water instead of coffee, tea or sodas. Choosing healthy foods can be good as it contributes to good sleep.

Mark Perry

Copyrighted material; do not reprint without permission.

 

View all articles by Mark Perry