Have you ever lay in bed at night, closed your eyes, but couldn't fall asleep?
Perhaps you've wondered what causes your restless nights. You may have thought, "Could it be that cup of coffee I had in the afternoon that's keeping me awake?" Or maybe you assumed it's because you've been too tired lately, which is why you can't sleep. However, you might have considered many reasons but never thought about how the foods you eat in the evening could be affecting your sleep. The foods you enjoy may secretly be disrupting your restful nights.
Many people enjoy unwinding after work or school by snuggling in their warm blankets and turning on the TV, but something feels missing. So, they get up and open the fridge, suddenly craving a slice of pizza, chocolate waffles, or a few spoonfuls of sweet ice cream. You think of it as a small treat for yourself, but you may not realize that the sugars and saturated fats in these snacks are subtly influencing your sleep. These "troublemakers" may taste delicious, but they're like thieves sneaking into your dreams at night, disrupting your biological clock and preventing you from getting restorative deep sleep.
Different foods behave very differently at night, influencing the quality of our rest. Just like the same boat can sail through different winds and waves, the quality of food can change how smoothly the boat sails, directly impacting the quality of deep sleep. When you eat a greasy or high-sugar dinner, it's like loading your body with a heavy burden. Your body has to work hard to digest these heavy foods. Even if you lie in bed on time, ready to drift off, your body is still like a busy worker, unable to stop its tasks and continue running. When you try to enter deep sleep, the slow-wave activity in your brain, like the braking system of a train, rapidly slows down. This slow-wave activity acts as the "repair factory" of sleep, where the body recovers, and cells repair themselves, just like the machines in a factory working non-stop to repair the fatigue accumulated throughout the day.
If you choose greasy food for dinner, it's like covering the machines in the factory with heavy steel, making it hard for them to function properly. This means the repair work is insufficient, and your body doesn't fully "shut down" to rest. It's like the machines in a factory still running, with some parts wearing out without having time to fix them. As a result, when you wake up, you'll find that you don't feel as energized as expected, and might even feel more exhausted as if the day's work never ended. It's like a car that has been driving at high speed for a long time, suddenly stopping without proper maintenance and repairs, and when starting again the next day, the engine still feels sluggish and underpowered. On the other hand, if you choose light vegetables, high-quality proteins, and fibre-rich foods for dinner, it's like adding a layer of protection to your body. The slow-wave activity in the brain acts like a powerful machine, and the factory works quietly through the night, repairing everything, ensuring you wake up in the best condition to start the next day.
When choosing your dinner or snacks, think about whether the foods you pick will bring lasting peace or only short-term pleasure. It's like choosing a solid boat to help you sail smoothly through rough waters, or picking an old, rickety boat that may capsize in the storm. A healthy dinner allows you to board a sturdy ship, gently sailing into a restful sleep, while junk food is like setting you adrift in a boat that might fall apart, making your sleep troubled and restless.
Evening snacks shouldn't just be a way to fill the void; they should be your ally in achieving good sleep quality. You can choose low-sugar, high-fiber foods like a warm bowl.
