Why some foods are unhealthy at bedtime

By: Chioma Umeha New studies have confirmed that eating food before bedtime can be dangerous to health. They have also offered tips to ensure that diets do not lead to sleepless nights. Spicy food Think twice before having chicken pepper soup for dinner. Eating a big, highly seasoned meal close to bedtime can interfere with your shut-eye. “It’s not that the spice interrupts your sleep,” said an expert, Mark Mahowald, a professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. The spice causes heartburn, and that interrupts your sleep, according to studies. Fiery foods can lead to indigestion and reflux, and, as a result, to ‘sleep fragmentation,’ said Lisa Medalie, a behavioural sleep medicine specialist at the University of Chicago. She recommends eating heavy or spicy foods at least three hours before bedtime. Chocolate or other caffeine-filled food Your body can take up to five hours to get caffeine out of your system. And if you are susceptible to