9 Foods You Should Never Eat Before Bed

Avoid eating these foods, from fried food to ice cream, before bed so you can get to sleep faster and have better sleep quality.

Foods to avoid before bed

You may nibble on a “light snack” before going to bed to avoid getting hunger pangs in the middle of the night. Despite your efforts, you toss and turn for hours in bed, and can’t help but wonder if it’s something you ate. The truth is there are certain foods, even healthy foods, that can interrupt sleep and wreak havoc on your digestion system.

Unfortunately, all food can really intervene with digestion and sleep if you consume it within two to three hours before bed. Still, read on to learn which types of foods to avoid that can inhibit a good night’s sleep. Plus, check out these unusual sleep tricks that experts say actually work.

french fries
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Fried foods

Avoid a trip to the drive-through to satisfy your late-night munchies. Greasy, fatty foods get through your system slower than protein and carbs, so your body will still be hard at work by the time you try to fall asleep, says Boulder-based behavioral sleep therapist Richard Shane, PhD, creator of the Sleep Easily Method. “You don’t want the engine of the digestive system cranking away when the rest of your body is trying to go to sleep,” he says. Find out why you crave junk food when you’re tired.

Korean red pepper paste gochujang
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Hot sauce

The reasons to avoid spicy foods before bed are twofold. For one, they can irritate the stomach and cause heartburn, making it hard to wind down for sleep, says Dr. Shane. The interaction also creates a passage for histamines to release into your body, says W. Christopher Winter, MD, president of the Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine clinic in Virginia and author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It. “Anti-histamines make you sleepy,” he says, but on the flip side, histamines promote wakefulness.

Slicing a Turkey
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Turkey

Forget what you’ve heard about how the tryptophan in turkey makes you sleepy on Thanksgiving—you can blame your food coma on the massive portions you gobbled down. In fact, turkey on any other day might actually keep you awake. The protein signals the brain to produce dopamine, the “motivation molecule” that gives you energy. You might want to avoid chicken and steak close to bedtime, but there’s still a way to get your protein fix. “Game meat and salmon are higher in melatonin,” says Dr. Winter. “Those are good for sleep.” (On the flip side, try to not eat these 10 things if you want to live a long life.)

Glasses of red wine. Top view. The concept of party and celebration
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Alcohol

Ending your day with a glass (or two) of red wine might conk you out, but you won’t get good quality sleep. As your head hits the pillow, your liver is still hard at work trying to remove the alcohol from your system, says Dr. Shane. “There’s a connection between your liver and your heart, and your heart beats faster, and that wakes you up,” he says. Once you snap out of dreamland, your pounding heart will make it harder to drift back into sleep. Sleep will also not be as deep and alcohol can interfere with sleep architecture. Snoring and heartburn are also common after alcohol which may disrupt sleep. Instead of wine, try these 11 natural sleep aids that actually work.

 Chocolate bar/ chocolate bar pieces / nut chocolate/ chocolate background
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Chocolate

You probably wouldn’t down a cup of coffee before bed, but it’s not the only source of caffeine. One ounce of chocolate (about three squares) contains about 23 milligrams of caffeine, which is a quarter of the amount in a cup of coffee. Chocolate also has other wakefulness compounds such as theobromine which is found more in darker chocolate. These are the 50 things nutritionists never eat—so you shouldn’t either.

Top view blue ceramic cup hot coffee on wooden table or desk, coffee of art latte or cappuccino style
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Coffee

No surprise here, but it’s worth noting just how soon before bed you should cut your coffee consumption. “With caffeine, the general rule in the sleep field is no later than early afternoon,” says Dr. Shane. To enjoy the taste with a mid-afternoon sweet fix, sip on decaf or half-caf, he says. Learn about more of the eating habits that ruin your sleep.

High Angle Close Up View of Red Handled Scoop Serving Mocha or Coffee Flavored Ice Cream Topped with Chocolate Shavings
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Coffee ice cream

Unfortunately for your after-dinner dessert, coffee ice cream does contain actual coffee—and its caffeine. Some even have bits of coffee beans in them, points out Dr. Winter. “If you can, reduce the amount of ice cream you eat or have it earlier,” he says. Also, watch out for hidden caffeine in nutrition bars, which can contain coffee beans, he says.

Top view of a refreshing Gin & Tonic with raspberries, lime, blueberries, pomegranate and dried spiced berries
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Water

Most of the time, extra hydration deserves two thumbs up. As the clock ticks toward bedtime, though, you might want to wind down your liquid load so you don’t need to drag yourself out of bed to use the bathroom. “Drink a sufficient amount of water during the day and even at dinnertime so your body has enough water,” says Dr. Shane. “You don’t want to go to bed thirsty and drink a lot then.” If you do need to sip something, try these best drinks to help you sleep.

Protein powder for sports drinks-dietary supplement.
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Workout helpers

Sports shakes and snacks often contain caffeine to pump up athletes’ performance. Try not to take them close to bedtime, and check the label in your protein shake when you finish your gym session to make sure caffeine isn’t hiding inside. “Make sure the workout drinks you’re eating before bed is a post-workout, not a pre-workout, which will have a lot of caffeine or stimulants,” says Dr. Winter. Instead, try these 16 bedtime snacks that help you sleep better.

Sources
Medically reviewed by Michael Spertus, MD, on March 03, 2021

Marissa Laliberte
Marissa Laliberte-Simonian is a London-based associate editor with the global promotions team at WebMD’s Medscape.com and was previously a staff writer for Reader's Digest. Her work has also appeared in Business Insider, Parents magazine, CreakyJoints, and the Baltimore Sun. You can find her on Instagram @marissasimonian.