Have you noticed that sometimes after a heavy dinner you can’t fall asleep for a long time. It’s all about what you eat. Some foods are harmful to healthy sleep, but there are some that will help you sleep like a baby.

5 foods that interfere with sleep

Canned and smoked meat

In the late hours, a ham sandwich would be a bad idea. And also bacon, sausages and smoked meat, as they contain a lot of tyramine, an amino acid that causes the brain to produce norepinephrine, a hormone that stimulates the brain, which causes insomnia and slight nervousness.

Chocolate

Be careful with chocolate of any kind. Many older people are very susceptible to caffeine, so that even a small amount eaten, for example, with ice cream, can cause sleep problems. Scientifically speaking, chocolate contains tyramine, an amino acid that has a stimulating effect.

Energetic drinks

These drinks are high in the caffeine-like amino acid taurine, which causes tension and promotes adrenaline production. The latest research shows that even during the day, energy drinks prevent sleepiness in the evening and cause restless sleep.

Ketchup

Chili peppers, pizza, and spicy foods are indigestible on their own, and therefore can disturb sleep. Sour cream combined with spicy foods leads to the production of stomach acid, causing heartburn and other symptoms that interfere with sleep.

Alcohol

A couple of glasses of wine at night can relax you, but it can also have the opposite effect by disrupting your sleep. Alcohol contributes to dehydration, as a result of which you will be forced to wake up often to go to the toilet.

5 sleep friends

Cherry and sweet cherry

These berries are a natural source of melatonin, a substance that controls your internal clock and balances your sleep. Experts recommend eating a handful of these berries an hour before bedtime. If you want to sleep on a plane or train, always take cherries or sweet cherries with you.

Bananas

Potassium and magnesium relax muscles naturally, and bananas are high in both. They also contain the amino acid L-tryptophan, which is converted in the brain to 5-hydroxytryptophan, a substance that helps fight insomnia. It is later converted into the relaxing neurotransmitter serotonin and melamine.

Toast, bread, spaghetti…

Carbohydrate-rich foods speed up the release of insulin, which causes drowsiness.

Oatmeal and cereals

Oatmeal and cereals also release insulin and increase natural blood sugar levels, which makes us sleepy. Oatmeal is also a natural source of melatonin, which some people take as a sleep aid.

Warm milk

Milk also contains the amino acid L-tryptophan. In addition, it is rich in calcium — an excellent assistant to a good and deep sleep.

Eat “right” and your sleep will be pleasant.