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Foods That Can Keep You Awake at Night

At Shovlin Mattress Factory, we’re the first to sing praises of a good night’s sleep. Getting sufficient rest each night is necessary for optimal well-being; your stress levels, heart and brain health, emotions, and immunity depend on it! But aside from having the ideal mattress for your body and sleep habits, other factors may contribute to whether or not you sleep well at night.

If you’re suffering from sleepless nights, here’s a surprise: chances are certain foods are keeping you awake. Beyond the more obvious triggers—caffeine, alcohol, fatty and sugary sweets—there are other sneaky items that may be the true cause of your insomnia.

Whether you’ve been struggling to get a great night’s rest or you just want to take preventative measures, here are the most common foods that can keep you awake at night:

 

Red Meat

Because red meat is high in fat and protein, it is harder for your body to digest. That alone can lead to difficulties falling asleep and disruptions to your sleep throughout the night. But red meat also leads to increased levels of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, and its high iron content is known to cause spikes in energy levels.

Instead of red meat, consider eating fish as a protein source when you are having a full meal within a few hours of bedtime. Species like salmon, cod, tuna, and halibut are known to be high in Vitamin B6, which improves the quality of sleep.

 

Cruciferous Vegetables

Veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts are slow to digest and often lead to gas and bloating. This can create discomfort that makes falling asleep or staying asleep a challenge.

Choose an alternative like kale, which is high in both folate and calcium, to avoid sleep problems.

 

Spicy Foods

If spicy foods give you indigestion, then a plate of hot wings is obviously a bad idea. But even if you have a cast-iron stomach, there are good reasons to avoid spicy food right before bed. Capsaicin and other “hot” spices lead to body temperature spikes that are linked to difficulty falling asleep.

Everyone is different, but if you notice that you have trouble getting to sleep after eating spicy foods, you’ll know what to do to solve the problem.

 

Tomato Sauce

Pasta sauce, pizza sauce, and even ketchup can lead to indigestion and acid reflux.

 

Ice Cream

It might be one of your favorite bedtime snacks, but the sugar in ice cream leads to a blood sugar spike that can make getting to sleep difficult, and the high-fat content leads to the release of cortisol.

 

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, both of which can make falling asleep more difficult.

 

Citrus Fruit

Studies show that just the scent of citrus fruit can lead to increased mental alertness. That’s the last thing you want if you have trouble getting to sleep!

 

Avoiding foods and beverages that make falling asleep more difficult is a great way to improve the quality of your sleep. Plus, getting great sleep is always easier and more enjoyable when you have a comfortable mattress to sleep on.

Even with all this information to chew on, it’s easy to see that sleep quality is still highly dependent on the quality of your mattress. Shovlin Mattress Factory has a fantastic selection of industry-leading mattresses that can be customized for any sleepers’ needs. We’re the masters of mattresses and more, and have developed quite the reputation. Visit us and let us help you find the mattress that gives you more of everything!

Stop sleeping around… Sleep on a Shovlin!

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