6 Foods That Causes Insomnia

Do you suffer from the waking nightmare called insomnia and remain awake the whole night despite all tiredness and fatigue? You may have tried everything from buying the best mattress online to consuming prescribed drugs. But have you ever questioned whether what you consume could cause insomnia?

It turns out that certain foods you consume on a frequent basis may be able to trigger your nervous system. This trigger is strikingly similar to a highly stressful situation. Also, taking medication can temporarily relieve stress and help you leave the situation, and a new mattress might provide you with comfortable settings. But identifying the source of a problem and eliminating it is crucial.

The foods listed below are those that most likely contribute to your insomnia:

1. Caffeinated food

Whenever the topic comes up about the food items you should avoid if you have insomnia, caffeine and caffeinated foods and beverages make the top of the list.

Caffeine products are stimulants for the nervous system and boost your energy. Also, caffeine blocks adenosine receptors in the brain and keeps you awake despite the tiredness. According to research, it takes around 24 hours to drain caffeine from your blood system completely.

Among the foods that contain caffeine are:

• Cocoa beans and chocolate
• Coffee and Decaf coffee
• Kola nut
• Green tea and black tea
• Guarana
• Chewing gum
• Candies
• Energy drinks
• Carbonated beverage

2. Alcohol

Alcohol or alcoholic beverages are next on the list that can cause sleep-related issues. Many drink alcohol and alcoholic beverages as a sleeping aid to reduce stress and anxiety before going to bed. Though alcohol helps you sleep effortlessly in the beginning, it might wake you up at midnight as it starts wearing off by hampering REM sleep.

Sometimes excessive consumption of alcohol can lead you to have a disturbed stomach and might stimulate it to throw up all food consumed earlier. Avoiding alcohol is not only suitable for treating insomnia, but it also helps you to stay away from other health issues.

3. Spicy food

Cravings for spicy food are common to satiate taste buds. However, excessively spicy food consumption before sleeping hours leads you to stay awake the whole night.

Spicy meals may aggravate peptic ulcers, gastritis, IBS, acid reflux, and other conditions. If eaten in enormous quantities at night, they could also result in digestive problems like heartburn, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps.

Another side effect of the consumption of spicy food like chili or paper results in increased body temperature. And, according to research, during sleep, our core body temperature reduces by a few degrees, and high body temperature keeps you tossing and turning on the mattress for the whole night.

4. Junk and fast food

Junk food items like fast food, ultra-processed food, or packed food are rich in salt, saturated fats, and added sugars.

These foods, like the others, stated above, can be harmful to your health and sleep if you eat them in excess. Excessive consumption of junk food also leads to obesity and sleep issues at night. Sleeping disorders like insomnia, sleep apnea, and snoring are side effects of obesity and weight gain.

4. Diuretic food

Diuretic food may be healthy and high in water level, but it causes you to urinate excessively. If you consume diuretic food at night or before hitting the mattress, it might wake you up frequently to pee.

Constant waking up at night to pee may keep you awake after that as you fail to sleep further. Avoiding diuretic food at night or before sleep is the best decision to skip insomnia and sleepless nights.

Diuretic food includes:

• Celery
• Cucumber
• Watermelon
• Lemons
• Grapes
• Blueberries
• Pineapple
• Bananas
• Oranges, etc.
  
  

6. Tyramine contained food

Tyramine, a type of amino acid, is famous as a trigger of noradrenaline, a brain stimulator. Eating food enriched with Tyramine before going to bed prevents you from sleeping due to a stimulated brain. Tyramine also releases the norepinephrine hormone, which increases blood pressure and heart rate. Eating tyramine-containing food at night can cause irregular heart rate and blood pressure increases.

Also, if you are already a patient with high blood pressure or heart disease, then there are higher chances of getting affected by Tyramine. Avoiding food items containing Tyramine before the night is good for getting better sleep without trouble.

Food with Tyramine:

• Tomatoes
• Soybeans
• Processed meat
• Aged cheese
• Nuts
• Red wine
• Spinach
• Eggplants
• Frozen fish
• Beans, etc.
  
  

Tips to get better sleep at night

Though you control your diet and reduce the consumption of food items that can cause insomnia, several other reasons can induce sleep issues in you.

To avoid sleep struggles, here are some tips for you:

Follow a sleep schedule and avoid staying awake late at night for any reasons like late-night parties or binge-watching new series. Limit your screen time when you are on the mattress, and avoid using mobiles and laptops in bed before sleep.

Turn off all the lights to signal your brain to release more melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone. Buy a new mattress online or offline that will provide you with enough support and comfort throughout the night. If you have back pain, buy an orthopaedic mattress from top mattress brands in India, like the Sleep Company.

Maintain hygiene in your bedroom to avoid any health issues. Use your bedroom and mattress only for sleeping purposes to help your brain associate it with sleep and induce sleeping hormones as soon as you get in bed or bedroom.

Exercise every day to exhaust your body enough to fall asleep as soon as you lay on the bed. Use meditation, yoga, and mindfulness techniques to relax your brain and body and fall asleep.

Bottom Line:

Adequate sleep is not just a habit but a genuine requirement to heal, strengthen and rejuvenate your body. Avoiding food items that can lead to sleeping disorders like insomnia is just one solution amongst many others.

However, despite all your efforts, if you still find it hard to sleep, then it might be a severe issue, and you need to seek help from sleep experts before it’s too late.