Scientific research has proven that quality of sleep is vital to one’s physical and mental health. Adequate sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle, and can benefit your heart, weight, mind and more. Research has also shown that the type of food eaten before going to sleep can impact the quality and amount of sleep one gets. Below are some of the worst foods to eat before going to sleep.

Burgers

A heavy, fatty meal like a burger gets your digestive tract working hard, which can be disruptive if you are trying to sleep.

Alcohol

Alcohol does not improve quality of sleep. Alcohol may seem to be helping you to sleep, as it helps induce sleep, but overall it is more disruptive to sleep, particularly in the second half of the night. Alcohol reduces rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep happens about 90 minutes after we fall asleep. It’s the stage of sleep when people dream, and it’s thought to be restorative.

Chocolate

Chocolate is a popular night time snack. However, chocolate especially higher percentages of dark chocolate has a considerable amount of caffeine and theobromine, a compound that can increase your heart rate and your alertness as a result.

Dried fruit

Dried fruits can make for a great snack but not before bed. Dried fruits are high in fiber and carry condensed concentrations of sugar in their shrivelled skins, this makes them a bad choice before sleeping.

Bacon

Bacon contains tyramine which is an amino acid that helps produce a brain stimulant. As everyone knows, when the mind is too stimulated, it’s hard to get a good night’s sleep.

Ice cream

Ice cream contains both sugar and fat. This implies instead of trying to rest, your energy levels will get a boost through sugar and the digestive system will be hard at work trying to digest the fat.

Red meat

Anything with a lot of protein is going to be tough to digest, red meat is one of them and this delayed process of digestion will ultimately affect  quality of sleep.

Spicy foods

Spicy foods rank among the worst foods to eat before sleeping. Firstly, they kick your heart rate up — not good news for calming your systems for sleep. Spicy foods also alter your metabolism which could stimulate your senses. Spicy foods can also upset your stomach with their high acidity.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are full of tyramine. This compound can induce the production of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that can stimulate brain activity. Tomatoes are therefore not a good idea before sleeping.

While the list above is not conclusive, it certainly points to what food to avoid before sleeping.