15+ Worst Foods To Eat Before Bed

We know, we know, it's almost impossible to resist the allure of a chocolate bar when you're craving a midnight snack. Still, it's best hold off on indulging in cocoa too late at night. Eating too much sugar will disrupt your sleep, leaving you feeling groggy and sluggish come the morning.

You might want to put the spoon down the next time you're feasting on some late-night cereal. While delicious, studies have shown that those who eat cereal right before going to bed are at a higher risk of developing chronic insomnia, with the high insulin levels disrupting your melatonin production.

You should never eat cheese right before going to bed. No, not because it'll give you nightmares, but because it's positively filled with fat! This fat will then sit in your gut all night long. Before you know it, your late-night cheese snacks will result in you piling on the pounds!

Pastries are tempting at any time of day, letting alone during the dead of night. Still, it's best to show some restraint - eating pastries late in the evening will cause your blood sugar to spike, heightening your energy levels and making it ten times harder to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

You'd think that you'd be able to eat a piece of fruit whenever you like. Well, that isn't quite the case. Eating citrus fruits before you hit the hay puts you at a much higher risk of developing heartburn or acid reflux, leaving you waking up with a burning throat.

Unless you're looking for a hefty dose of heartburn in the middle of the night, it's best to avoid eating tomatoes close to bedtime. Save them for lunch or an early dinner, but never have tomatoes right before bed - especially if you eat your dinner an hour or two before hitting the hay.

Most people have a cold glass of soda with their dinner - but this is a major mistake. The carbon dioxide that creates the sparkling bubbles can leave you feeling gassy and bloated. Some sodas also contain sugar and caffeine - two things you absolutely want to avoid right before bed!

A thick and juicy steak might sound like the ideal food to have for dinner, but eating too much protein before going to bed can wreak havoc on your body. Protein and fat take a while to be broken down by your gut, resulting in a night spent tossing and turning.

You might be tempted to reach for a packet of chips as a late-night snack, munching and crunching as you watch a good movie. However, these salty snacks are high in starch and unhealthy fats, which can lead to blood sugar swings that make it almost impossible to fall asleep.

Thinking of making an onion-heavy dinner? Think again. Eating onions before going to bed can cause acid reflux, causing a burning sensation in your esophagus that makes it impossible to sleep. You might get away with cooked onions - but raw or grilled will wreak havoc on your sleeping pattern.

As delicious as fries are, it's best to avoid eating them too close to bedtime. Your body struggles to digest foods that are high in fat, leading to indigestion, stomach discomfort, and an increased probability of waking up during the night. Worse still, fries are so salty that you'll be waking up in the early hours desperate for a drink!

Cheeseburgers contain every food that you should avoid before hitting the hay. An excess of meat, cheese and carbs is a concoction that'll undoubtedly lead to a broken night's sleep. Fatty foods usually take around four to five hours to digest, alongside making you feel bloated when you lay down.

Want to wake up with a pounding headache and a throat drier than the Sahara desert? Then pour yourself a stiff drink before you go to bed! If not, it's best to avoid alcohol altogether. Poor sleep aside, drinking alcohol in excess can negatively impact both your physical and mental health.

When it comes to eating spice late at night, go mild. Hot wings and spicy chilis are highly acidic and are likely to lead to digestive discomfort, leaving you tossing and turning all night long. Eat spicy food in the day by all means - but make sure you avoid it from around 3pm onwards.

You can't drink a caffeine-filled energy drink and expect to have a good night's sleep! These beverages are designed to keep you awake, giving you a spring on your step as you tackle your daily tasks. Drinking them at night, meanwhile, will mean that you'll be awake until the sunrise!

Dried fruit is good for you, featuring heaps of gut-boosting fiber and an array of healthy minerals. Still, you want to avoid snacking on dried fruit too close to bedtime. The high fiber content will leave you feeling bloated and gassy - something that your other half is sure to have a problem with!

Save your donuts for an afternoon treat - never eat them before bed. The sweet treat is both fried and high in sugar - two feats that will wreak havoc on your sleep. After all, having a sugar rush is the last thing you want as you're winding down for the day.

Those pesky tomatoes shouldn't just be avoided on their own, you should also avoid any tomato-based sauces before bedtime! Pizza is one such example, with the tomato base potentially resulting in painful bouts of acid reflux. They're also full of fat and cheese - two things your body struggles to break down.

That cold, sugary goodness might be what you're craving at midnight, but it's best to wait until the following day. Ice cream is packed full of sugar and fat, both of which will sit heavily in your stomach. Before long, those late night tummy pains will kick in, severely impacting your sleep.

Salty and high in fat, bacon is a mouthwatering treat that's beloved by millions of people all around the world. However, you should hold off on eating bacon in the dead of night. If not, your body will burst into life, attempting to break down the hefty dose of red meat.

Remember when you were a kid and you got a sugar rush if you ate too much candy? Well, history will repeat itself if you eat too much of the sweet stuff before bed. Swap the candy for a piece of fruit instead. It'll satisfy your sweet tooth without impacting the quality of your sleep.

It's important that you stay hydrated. Experts recommend that you drink around ten cups of water each day, ensuring that your body is in tip-top shape. However, you should try to avoid drinking too much water close to bedtime. If not, you can bet that you'll wake up in the middle of the night, desperate for the bathroom!

Another food, another dish that will bring about a severe bout of acid reflux! If you can't go without the flavorsome ingredient in your dinner, consider eating your meal a little bit earlier in the evening. This way, you still get all of that delicious taste without having to suffer the consequences!

Many people love to feast on popcorn in bed, shoveling down the snack as they watch a good movie. However, you might want to leave your popcorn in the pantry. The snack is extremely high in sodium, sodium that'll have your body waking up in the early hours screaming out for water.

Celery is healthy - surely there'd be no problem eating it before going to bed?! Well, not quite. Celery is laden with water - water that will result in you waking up in the early hours desperate to use the bathroom. Instead, eat celery at lunchtime and kiss those late-night bathroom trips goodbye.

Protein bars are best reserved for early in the morning, giving you a boost of energy before you start your day. Eating them at night, meanwhile, will pump your body full of sugar - sugar that will result in you staring at the ceiling until the early hours of the morning.

Orange juice is bursting at the seams with acidity and sugar - two things that you should absolutely avoid close to bedtime. It'll give you a mix of energy and heartburn, leaving you flipping your pillows well past midnight. Save your OJ for the morning - your body will thank you for it!

We suggest that you eat watermelon regularly - it's a hydrating fruit that's full of vitamins and minerals. However, we highly recommend that you avoid chomping on chunks of watermelon late in the day - doing so will result in you taking multiple trips to the bathroom throughout the night.

You might think that opting to use coconut oil is a healthy choice. While this can be the case, it's still best to avoid the cooking ingredient too close to bedtime. The high levels of saturated fat are sure to impact your ability to clock a solid eight hours' of sleep, leaving you feeling groggy the next day.

In the depths of winter, you might be tempted to make yourself a hot bowl of hearty soup as a late-night snack. However, canned soups are laden with sodium - even the ones that claim that they're low in salt. This salt will dehydrate you and raise your body temperature, leaving you gasping for water when you wake up.

Your body's ability to process food reduces to around 50% when sleeping. This means that you should avoid feasting on any gut-heavy foods before hitting the hay - including chicken. You've got make a choice; you can either get a good night's sleep or digest your food - your body can't do both at the same time!

That alluring aroma might seem like a good idea in the late hours, but you can bet that you'll soon regret drinking that hot cup of joe. Treat yourself to a cup of coffee in the morning by all means, but avoid drinking coffee past three or four in the afternoon.

Hold off on drowning your fries in a dollop of ketchup - it'll drastically impact your ability to drift off to the land of nod! Not only do you run the risk of experiencing heartburn, but tomatoes also contain the amino acid tyramine - something that releases a stimulant in the brain to boost activity!

Sorry, spice lovers, but salsa is one of the worst foods you can eat late at night. Salsa can trigger heartburn, particularly if you're laying in a horizontal position. The chemicals found within spicy food also heighten your senses, making it almost impossible to get a solid eight hours' of sleep.

While it's important to get your daily dose of vegetables in your system, you want to avoid eating any raw veggies before going to bed. It'll force your body into getting to work digesting them, with your gut doing everything it can to break down the hefty levels of fiber.

A plank featuring cheeses, jams, and cured meats is most food lovers' dream, featuring food from every possible group. However, not only will munching your way through this board impact your ability to get to sleep, it'll also wreak havoc on your health. Eating too much red meat can be as bad for you as smoking a cigarette!

Many people enjoy slurping on a hot cup of tea before hitting the hay, finding that it's the perfect way to end a day. However, tea contains caffeine - including green teas! Instead, opt for a herbal, non-caffeinated tea that will allow you to get all of the sleep you need.

A mild curry isn't so bad, but a curry that's laden with spices is sure to wreak havoc on your sleeping schedule. Your mouth will be on fire as your senses heighten, with your body temperature going through the roof. Swap out extra spicy curries for something more mild and you're sure to sleep like a baby.

The fattier the food, the worse it is for your health. Your body burns off the most fat during your waking hours. At night, however, it tries to store as much fat as possible. If you frequently eat fatty foods near to bedtime, therefore, then you'll soon be piling on the pounds!

How can you expect to munch on a bunch of sugar and get a good night's sleep? Not only will you be left counting sheep, but eating too much sugar will be detrimental to your health. Eat too much of the sweet stuff and you run the risk of getting diabetes - or even cancer!