Things to Avoid While Going to Sleep

It is a common observation that most individuals have a unique sleep cycle. This may be due to common habits, food intake throughout the day, especially before bed, stress, emotional trauma, and more.

Food plays an important role in controlling our sleep. The consumption of the following foods should be avoided before bed:

Alcohol – It may seem that alcohol provides better and deep sleep due to the effect it has on the brain, but that may not be the case at all times. It severely disrupts the sleep pattern, after or during the occurrence of sleep. This in turn reduces the amount of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep of an individual. Consuming large amounts of liquor before bed may also cause loud snoring. Due to this, many individuals wake up from their sleep by the sound of their own snoring! At certain times, nausea can occur during sleep, which in turn leads to excessive vomiting.

Heavy foods – Fried and fatty foods take longer to digest and very often cause indigestion at night. This uneasy feeling keeps the individual awake, thereby disrupting the sleep cycle. Hence, foods that are fatty and oily should definitely be avoided before sleeping.

Foods with high caffeine – Caffeine are a stimulant. It causes an individual to be wakeful. Such foods should be avoided as it causes difficulty falling asleep.

Sugary foods – The consumption of sugary items causes the blood sugar level to rise, thereby increasing the amount of insulin secreted. Insulin creates problems related to one’s sleep cycle. Therefore, it should be avoided.

Foods rich in Tyramine – Common foods that are rich in the amino acid Tyramine are old cheese, red wine, tomatoes and soy products. Tyramine causes the brain to release stimulants that interrupt a proper sleep pattern. It is advisable to consume such foods at a maximum of six hours before bed to avoid sleep disruption.

Common habits that should be avoided before bed include: -

Using phones before bedtime – The blue light, which is emitted by phones, causes the reduction of melatonin. It is a hormone that induces sleep. Also, using phones does not allow the brain to relax before bedtime; hence it is not advisable before sleeping.

Unusual late-night eating – Eating before bed, or snacking, causes an interference in the food pattern which in turn shuffles one’s sleep pattern too.

Exercising late-night – Cardio or any form of exercise rejuvenates the mind and body, hence an individual would it extremely difficult to fall asleep as per his/her sleep schedule.

Playing video games – Video games require the entire body’s involvement. The brain is highly active which causes insomnia in severe cases.

Bathing – Having a bath induces total body freshness; therefore sleeping after a shower is not advisable.

In conclusion, sleep is immensely controlled by a variety of factors. The ones which can be controlled should be controlled as much as possible. Following healthy habits, avoiding stress, keeping in mind the dos and don’ts before sleep are essential. An adequate amount of sleep is important because the brain needs enough oxygen to function properly. Hence, a naturally good sleep pattern is much better than induced sleep. This results in the overall well being of an individual.