Coffee
While some people seem able to down a late-night espresso without losing a wink of sleep, most are not so lucky. If caffeine affects your sleep, try not to have any later than six hours before bedtime.
Soda
Between the bubbles and the possible caffeine, soda is a no-no before bedtime. And if it’s regular — not diet — soda, it’s chock-full of sugar, which is super-stimulating. Sugar is also linked to shallower, less restful sleep.
Pizza
You might want to rethink that late-night order for pizza… for a lot of reasons. That cheesy topping might give you nightmares, according to a recent study, and the acidic tomato sauce can lead to tummy aches and 2 a.m. trips to the bathroom. Plus, pizza is really more than a bedtime snack; eating a second dinner adds a lot of extra calories that you probably don’t need.
Spicy foods
Spicy foods do more than stimulate your taste buds — they also can irritate your stomach (particularly problematic if you’re prone to heartburn), which can make it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Ice cream
For starters, ice cream is loaded with fat, so you’re not going to give your body a chance to burn any of it before bed, and then all of the sugar is going to pump your body full of energy right before you hit the hay, so you’ll be sending your body divergent messages. On top of that, the sugar just gets stored and turned to fat, too, so this is a lose-lose situation all around.
