Whether you can avoid the worst foods to have late at night may be the difference between a good night's sleep and a bad one.
Most adults need six to eight hours of sleep a night to get through the day. Everything from your sleep environment to exercise habits can influence this - but what you eat plays a much bigger role than many people expect it to.
Many foods have hidden sugars, are loaded with saturated fats, and are topped up with caffeine, making them the worst foods to have late at night. Here, we reveal the most problematic ones to avoid for a good night's sleep.
Worst foods to have late at night
1. High-sugar cereal
Breakfast cereals made with additional sugar might be your preferred way to start the day but they are best avoided when it comes to late-night snacking. High-sugar cereals like frosted cornflakes can cause your blood pressure to spike as you're trying to get to sleep and then crash, wreaking your chance of a good night's sleep and playing havoc with your insulin levels.
2. Dried fruit
Dried fruit is a great snack at other times of day - especially if you've only had a light breakfast and need something mid-morning to get you through to lunchtime. The reason why it's so highly recommended by nutritionists and dieticians (provided it's not covered in sugar for flavour) is because many types of dried fruit are high in fibre. Unfortunately, this makes it one of the worst foods to have late at night.
High-fibre foods, much like high-protein foods, take longer to digest. So, when you're lying in bed, you may feel some stomach discomfort and even painful gas if you eat too much dried fruit late at night.
3. Chocolate
Chocolate is sweet and delicious, and it contains caffeine - and for this reason, it's one of the worst foods to have in the evenings. As most people know, it's higher in sugar compared to other foods by design.
Caffeine is a stimulant, so it's going to stop you from falling asleep quickly and high-sugar foods can cause your blood sugar to spike and crash, disrupting otherwise relatively stable insulin levels before bed.
4. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are rich in an amino acid called tyramine - excellent for regulating your blood pressure (and increasing dopamine, according to studies by Rambam Medical Center) but not so good for when you want to fall asleep. This amino acid is a stimulant, meaning it can keep your brain awake.
Not only that, but some tomato-based products (like ketchup) can be highly acidic. Acidic foods can cause acid reflux, leading to uncomfortable symptoms like heartburn, chest and stomach pain.
5. Spicy curry
Spicy curry - and any other spicy food - is another one of the worst foods to have before bed. Spices are known to cause acid reflux, which can lead to heartburn and other uncomfortable issues like difficulty swallowing and the feeling of a lump in your throat.
However, spicy curry will also raise your body temperature. When we sleep, we need to maintain a regular temperature to get to sleep and then stay asleep throughout the night. If our temperature is above this, falling and staying asleep becomes much harder.
6. Chips
If you want to sleep well, deep-fried potato chips are worth a miss at dinner. According to research by the Université de Montreal, foods high in saturated fat (like those deep fried in oil) are more likely to lead to nightmares and interrupted sleep than other types of food.
Switch out your deep-fried potato chips with grilled variations or cook your potatoes in an air-fryer (without oil) for a better, sleep-friendly alternative.
7. Pizza
Unfortunately, pizza is a triple threat when it comes to disrupting your wind-down routine and the chance of a good night's sleep. Tomato sauce tends to be very acidic, possibly leading to acid reflux and stomach discomfort; cheese is high in fat, which can also cause stomach discomfort when eaten late at night (and it's more likely to lead to nightmares, per research by Université de Montreal). Refined dough is high in sugar, causing your glucose levels to spike and crash, potentially also leading to interrupted sleep in the next few hours.
8. Steak
While a low-fat cut of steak and grilled potatoes is a great dinner to send you off into a slumber (provided you eat at least two hours before you plan to go to bed), a large steak and fries is best avoided. Red meat is denser than leaner, white meats like chicken, meaning it will sit in your stomach, potentially cause indigestion, and make it harder for you to go to bed comfortably.
Plus, steak is very high in protein - a macronutrient that takes longer to digest than others. This means you'll stay fuller for longer, but it could lead to stomach discomfort if you eat too much of it too close to when you're planning to go to bed.
9. Doughnuts
Unfortunately, doughnuts are one of the worst buttery snacks you can eat before going to bed. They are fried and rich in artificial sugars, which can cause digestive discomfort if you eat them late at night, and they can cause spikes and crashes in blood sugar. Although we tend to crave high-sugar foods in the evenings, it's better avoided if you want to slip off into a slumber without issue.
To kick a sweet craving, opt for natural sources of sugar, such as dates, herbal tea sweetened with honey, or oat cakes with peanut butter and honey.
10. Pastries
Much like donuts, buttery pastries are some of the worst foods to have late at night. While it might be tempting to finish off your leftover chocolate croissant from breakfast as a midnight snack, it's better to leave it to the morning if you're after a good night's sleep.
Pastries are high in saturated fat and sugar, which makes them a great pick-me-up post-breakfast, but a snack to avoid at least two hours before sleep as these ingredients tend to cause stomach discomfort and sugar spikes.
11. Cheese
There's a space for cheese in every diet - it's high in protein, vitamins A, D, K, and zinc. However, it's one of the worst foods to have late at night because it's also high in fat and an amino acid called tyramine.
In the daytime, tyramine doesn't have too much of an effect on us. However, at night, researchers from Central Queensland University found that it may be responsible for creating nightmares and dreams, disrupting sleep quality and duration. This is because tyramine triggers the release of noradrenaline, a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in the body's "fight or flight" response.
12. Crisps
Crisps might be a classic grab-and-go late night snack, but they are one of the worst foods to have late at night. Much like other deep fried foods, they are high in saturated fat and empty calories.
They also tend to be saltier than other foods, which can actually make you feel even hungrier than you did before you opened the bag. If you feel hungry late at night, chances are, you'll reach for other foods lacking in nutrients and high in saturated fats and sugar to fill the void. It's only natural. However, this can make settling down for sleep even harder, cause discomfort when lying down, and repeating this habit night after night can even lead to longer-term health issues like high blood pressure.
13. Ice cream
These days, there are so many healthy alternatives to ice cream that most people won't find an issue finding one to swap out for a late-night snack. However, it is worth staying away from classic dairy ice cream in the evenings.
Classic dairy ice cream is high in saturated fat and artificial sugars, which can cause discomfort when lying down and trigger sugar cravings which can mean you end up eating even more in the evenings before bed than you'd otherwise expect to. Plus, artificial sugar can cause spikes and crashes, making it harder to get to sleep.
14. Kidney beans
Kidney beans are high in fibre, making them a great addition to chilli, pastas, and soups. As fibre is one of the more filling macronutrients, it's slower to digest. So while adding beans to your lunch or dinner (at least two hours before bed) is a great idea, leftovers aren't such a great snack to have before going to bed.
The fibre in kidney beans is, unfortunately, a recipe for painful flatulence, stomach pressure and cramping for some, especially if the beans are combined with other sources of fibre and protein.
15. Cookies
Much like doughnuts, croissants, and other pastries, cookies are one of the worst foods to eat late at night. The combination of butter and sugar in the biscuit and chocolate chunks makes cookies a double whammy of no-go ingredients before bed. The buttery ingredients are high in saturated fat, which can cause discomfort, and the chocolate is likely to cause sugar spikes and a small uptick in energy, given that it naturally contains caffeine.
If you do want a snack before bed, try a homemade oat-based cookie instead - without raisins, nuts, or any chocolate additions. Oats are high in complex carbohydrates, which are slower to digest, but they'll kick any sugar cravings and keep your blood sugar at a natural level.
16. Fizzy drinks
Most fizzy drinks are loaded with artificial sugar and caffeine, a sure-fire way to keep you up at night. Where possible, try to avoid any drinks or food that contains caffeine in the six hours before you sleep as this stimulant takes a while to go through your system.
Fizzy drinks are also carbonated, one ingredient that can lead to uncomfortable symptoms like heartburn, and they are a known diuretic thanks to the caffeine and water content, meaning you'll likely be out of bed during the night needing the bathroom.
17. Red wine
While red wine is often considered among the better types of alcohol to drink, given its rich polyphenol content, it's one of the worst foods to have before going to bed as it's also rich in tyramine.
Tyramine is a type of amino acid that causes the brain to release a stimulant, which can make falling and staying asleep more challenging.
18. Energy drinks
Energy drinks are a great way to recover post-exercise (if they contain electrolytes and B vitamins) and a good alternative to coffee to start the day. However, energy drinks also tend to be high in sugar and caffeine, so it's best to stay away from them late at night.
In fact, most studies suggest it takes up to six hours for caffeine to pass through the system, so where possible, avoid energy drinks after lunch for the best chance of a good night's sleep.
19. Raw onions
Admittedly, raw onion is quite an unusual late night snack. However, it is a common ingredient in salads, salsas, and soups, so it's best to check the ingredients before eating any of these meals late into the evening.
Raw onions are famous for triggering acid reflux, a painful condition that makes heartburn worse and can lead to discomfort in the stomach, painful swallowing, and disrupted sleep.
20. Butter
A slice of bread and butter might sound like the perfect snack to have before bed - the carbohydrates are filling, meaning you won't wake up hungry, and the butter makes the bread taste better. However, the next time you pick up a slice, swap out the butter for another spread that's lower in saturated fats.
Butter is very high in saturated fat and, like other dairy products, can cause stomach discomfort if eaten too late into the evening.
21. Flavoured popcorn
Plain popcorn is a great snack. It's low in macronutrients likely to cause discomfort or keep you up at night with slow digestion, low in calories, but effective at helping you kick a late-night sugar craving. As soon as you add any artificial flavours to your popcorn, the benefits disappear.
Additional sugar, syrups, salt, and chocolate are all very effective at disrupting the body's natural state. Sugar causes spikes and crashes, and salt leads to dehydration and even more food cravings.
22. Bacon
Bacon, and other forms of fatty red meats, are one of the worst foods to eat late at night. The high-saturated fat content helps produce an acid in the stomach that can lead to uncomfortable acid reflux.
Symptoms of acid reflux including difficulty swallowing, a painful burning sensation in the chest, backwash, chest or stomach pain, and a 'lump' feeling in the throat.
23. Milk
Even though milk is high in tryptophan, a sleep-inducing hormone, it's actually one of the drinks many people should avoid having before going to bed. Dairy is high in protein, which takes longer to digest, and rich in fats, which can cause discomfort overnight.
Some people also find they produce more mucus after drinking milk, which naturally leads to congestion and a runny nose - neither of which are helpful when you're trying to get to sleep.
24. Celery
Celery may seem like a harmless late night snack option - but its high water content makes it a no-go. While it's important to be hydrated before heading to bed - considering you'll be fasting for the next (hopefully) six to eight hours - too much water can have the opposite effect and keep you awake, in and out of bed going to the bathroom. So, where possible, avoid taking on additional water before bed.
25. Chili peppers
Chili peppers contain capsaicin, an active component that gives these spicy peppers their unique flavour and heat. However, any foods with capsaicin are best avoided in the hours before you want to go to sleep.
Much like other spicy foods, capsaicin can elevate our body's natural temperature past the ideal of 20 to 22 degrees celsius we need for good sleep.
26. Coffee
Most people know to avoid coffee close to bedtime. As a stimulant, it works to wake you up, but even just a small serving too late in the afternoon can keep you awake until the early hours of the morning.
It's not just the post-lunch flat white that you need to be aware of though. Many desserts (like tiramisu) and cocktails (such as espresso martini), also contain a full serving of coffee - and these are among the top post-dinner favourites at restaurants around the world.
27. Aubergines
Aubergines might not seem like a food that can impact your sleep in any way but they are actually among the worst foods to eat before bed. Much like tomatoes and red wine, these curved fruits contain tyramine - an amino acid that works like a stimulant in the brain.
When you're trying to get to sleep, you want to avoid stimulating foods and drink wherever possible.
28. Broccoli
Leafy green vegetables like broccoli are excellent high-fibre foods, known for keeping you full throughout the day. However, they are best eaten at lunchtime or at least a couple of hours before bed.
Broccoli contains a lot of fibre, making it harder to digest that other vegetables. Unfortunately, this can result in flatulence and stomach discomfort when you're lying down - hardly pleasant for you, or anyone you're sharing a bed with.
29. Cucumbers
Having to get in and out of bed during the night to go to the bathroom can disrupt your sleep, almost like nothing else. It's important to drink water before you go to bed so you're properly hydrated, but topping up too much is best avoided if you're looking for a complete night's sleep. So, along with water, avoid fruits that have a high water content, such as cucumbers and watermelon.
30. Cauliflower
Cauliflower is one of the best foods for staying full. It's high in fibre - but that also means it takes longer to digest, and this can lead to some uncomfortable symptoms if you eat this vegetable close to bedtime. For example, high-fibre foods are often associated with flatulence and painful gas, which can make things difficult when you're trying to relax and go to sleep.
So, if you're having this white vegetable as part of your dinner, aim to finish eating no shorter than two hours before you get into bed.
31. Citrus fruits
Oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes - basically all citrus fruits - are best avoided late at night. They tend to be tough on the digestive system, leading to issues like acid reflux, discomfort, and indigestion, even in small amounts.
While no one is eating a lemon before heading to bed, the biggest citrus offenders late at night tend to be fruity additions to drinks - like gin and tonics, margaritas, and infused water - and desserts.
32. White wine
Any alcohol before bed is going to impact your sleep quality but white wine is one of the worst. It's particularly acidic compared to other types of wine, so it's a recipe for acid reflux when you're trying to get to sleep.
Unfortunately, this can cause discomfort in your chest and stomach and heartburn, and naturally make it harder for you to get to comfortable.
