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Expert Shares The 5 Worst Foods To Eat Before Bed
Unfortunately, most of us in the UK don’t get enough sleep.
Between stress, tricky working hours, late-night scrolling sessions, and straight-up insomnia, there are plenty of reasons why your nighttime rest might not feel as fulfilling as it should.
But Benenden Health recently shared that some foods could be to blame for your sleepless nights, too.
“If you’ve tried every sleep remedy under the sun and you’re tired of struggling to sleep through the night, it could be because you’re eating the wrong foods before bed,” nurse practitioner Cheryl Lythgoe shared.
After all, as the South Warwickshire NHS Trust points out, the later you eat, the harder your digestive system has to work while you’re sleeping. This process can disturb your Zzzs, making it hard to stay asleep.
Here, Lythgoe shares some of the worst foods for sleep – and why they’re so problematic.
1. Chocolate
I know, I know, it’s tempting to chow down on your fave choc at night. But the pros say that the combination of sugar and caffeine (yes, there’s caffeine in chocolate – especially dark chocolate) can keep you up later than you probably want to.
2. Cheese
No, not because it causes bad dreams – experts advise against eating the delicious dairy staple before you sleep because it contains a substance called tyramine, which helps us feel alert.
3. Spicy food
The problem here is a chemical called capsaicin, which is where chillies gets their punchy flavour. Spice can disturb your sleep by messing up your body’s temperature regulation, so stick to the mild stuff before bed.
4. Ice cream
Or cakes, or biscuits, or gummy sweets ― basically, the problem here is sugar.
Too much of the sweet stuff can cause nighttime restlessness, and might even cause you to wake up multiple times in the wee hours.
5. Crisps
I regret to inform you that your fave crisps more than likely have what experts would call “wayyyy too much salt.”
Salt can affect your sleep by dehydrating you. One study found that eating salty foods, such as crisps and salted nuts, before bed contributed to disrupted – or “superficial” – sleep.
Not only that, but too much salt before bed can leave you feeling groggy in the morning, too.
OK, so what should I eat?
If you get peckish at night, Lythgoe suggests trying more natural foods.
“You may love night-time snacks like chocolate, ice cream or crisps, but they could be just the thing stopping you from getting those all-important eight hours,” she said.
“Instead, if you’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth, natural foods like cherries or bananas are excellent for promoting good sleep and should satisfy that sweet craving.”
She adds that, in general, you should also avoid eating too late at night if you can, monitor your portion sizes, and steer clear of caffeine and refined sugar before bed.
Well, it looks like I need to make some life changes...
注释：
scroll: v
表示" 卷动"，means "move through text or graphics in order to display parts that do not fit on the screen"，如：You may need to scroll to see this option. 可能需要滚动屏幕才能看到该选项。
chow: v
表示" 吃"，means "eat"，如：We should chow down now before all of the good stuff is gone! 我们赶紧吃吧，不然一会儿好东西都没了。
fave: adj
表示" 最喜爱的"，means "favorite"，如：Thanks to everyone who placed their vote for their fave Pura colour. 谢谢每一个人投选他们最喜爱的纯净清新系列颜色。
tyramine: n
表示" [化]酪胺"，means "amino acid derived from tyrosine; has a sympathomimetic action; found in chocolate and cola drinks and ripe cheese and beer;"，如：ecause tyramine content increases over time, especially if food is improperly stored, avoid eating leftovers. 因为酪胺含量随着时间的增加而升高，尤其是当食物存放不当的时候，所以尽量不要吃剩菜。
capsaicin: n
表示"[化]辣椒素"，如：Capsaicin the active ingredient in cayenne assists digestion by stimulating the flow of both saliva and stomach secretions.辣椒中的辣椒素可刺激唾液及胃液的分泌而促进消化。
punchy: adj
表示" 强而有力的；因受拳击而脑部昏沉的"，如：That punchy rate of growth helps explain the biggest surprise.可观的增长率进一步说明了巨大的惊喜。
wee: adj
表示" 极小的；微量的"，means "(used informally) very small"，如：I'm a wee bit worried about him. 我对他有些担心。
groggy: adj
表示"酒醉的；摇摇晃晃的"，means "stunned or confused and slow to react (as from blows or drunkenness or exhaustion"，如：The sleeping pills left her feeling very groggy. 那安眠药弄得她迷迷糊糊的。
peckish: adj
表示" 饿的；易怒的"，means "easily irritated or annoyed"，如：Looks may not kill, but they can leave you feeling peckish. 长相也许不会要你的命，但可能会让你挨饿。
中文简要说明：
许多人习惯睡前吃点宵夜、解解馋，不过专家指出，睡前吃巧克力、干酪、辛辣食物、冰淇淋、洋芋片等5类食物，恐怕会影响睡眠，建议改吃天然食物，尤其是樱桃及香蕉，不仅能助眠，还能解馋。
综合英国《哈芬登邮报》（Huffington Post）、《纽约邮报》（New York Post）报导，英国班尼登健康协会（Benenden Healthcare）近期发布报告，分享睡前5大NG食物可能影响民众睡眠。
班尼登健康协会护士莱丝戈（Cheryl Lythgoe）指出，如果民众试过了各种睡眠疗法，但晚上还是难以入睡或睡不好，那有可能是「睡前吃错了食物」。她分享5种最糟糕的睡前食物：
第一，巧克力。巧克力含有糖及咖啡因，能让民众保持清醒。报告指出，在睡眠后期，咖啡因会导致快速动眼期（rapid eye movement，REM）更频繁地发生，进而造成隔天醒来时头脑昏沉。
第二，干酪。干酪含有名为酪胺（tyramine）的成分，会让肾上腺释放「战斗或逃跑」（fight or flight）的贺尔蒙，让民众提高警觉数小时。
第三，辛辣食品。她说辣椒的辛辣风味是由一种称为辣椒碱的化学物质而来，辣椒碱会扰乱体温调节，进而干扰睡眠，因此建议睡前吃温和的食物较好。
第四，冰淇淋。不只是冰淇淋，蛋糕、饼干、软糖等都适用，她说这类食物的问题是含糖，过多甜食会导致睡觉不安宁，甚至在半夜时醒来多次。
报告也提到：「含糖食品初期会先让血糖上升，之后骤降，血糖骤降会让肾上腺警觉有紧急状况发生，导致皮质醇（cortisol）浓度上升，将身体从睡眠中唤醒。」
第五，洋芋片。不吃甜食，那改吃咸的洋芋片呢？她说专家们可能会惊呼「太咸了」！她说盐巴会让人脱水，进而影响睡眠，2006年欧洲内分泌学会（European Society of Endocrinology）研究发现，睡前吃洋芋片、盐味坚果等咸食，会导致睡眠中断或浅眠。因此专家建议睡前2至3小时避免吃洋芋片，此外，睡前吃进太多盐巴，可能会导致隔天昏昏沉沉。
■睡前有些嘴馋、或有点饿，怎么办？
莱丝戈建议民众这时改吃比较天然的食物，「如果你爱吃甜食，樱桃、香蕉等天然食物能促进良好睡眠，又能满足你对甜食的渴望」。
除此之外，专家也指出，蜂蜜、火鸡、杏仁等都是有助于刺激褪黑激素分泌的食物，能帮助改善睡眠。
整体而言，莱丝戈建议民众不要太晚吃东西，注意食物的分量，睡前避免吃含有咖啡因及精致糖的食物。
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