10 foods to avoid before bed so you can have a more restful night

Not being able to sleep at night is not only frustrating, but usually makes you grumpy and bad-tempered the next morning too.

In the long-term, sleep problems (opens in new tab) can also impact on your health (opens in new tab) and your waistline - especially if you're having a midnight snack on the foods to avoid before bed.

Plus just an hour's less shut-eye a night means you're more likely to snack on sugary, salty junk food the following day to help keep you awake.

And what you eat before putting on your pyjamas can make all the difference to how well you'll sleep full stop. These are 10 foods to avoid before bed if you want to get a restful night's sleep...

10 foods to avoid before bed

Beans on toast

They're renowned for making you windy because they're slow to digest, so it's not a good idea to eat beans before bed if you want to a deep sleep (opens in new tab). Bread, especially the white, processed stuff, is also best avoided because the sugar will cause an energy spike.

Bacon and eggs

Save your bacon and eggs for breakfast if you want to get your full eight hours. Greasy food, especially red meat, is hard for the body to breakdown so your stomach will be making all sorts of funny noises.

18 delicious foods to eat tonight for a great sleep! Read more here...

Ice-cream

Had a bad day? Don't reach for the ice-cream! It's packed with fat and sugar, not what your body or brain need to relax after a long day.

Cheese and crackers

That old-wives tale that you shouldn't eat cheese before bed does hold some truth. It might not necessarily give you nightmares, but it might well keep you up thanks to a chemical in cheese that makes your brain work even harder.

Pizza

We're all guilty of tucking in to a late night pizza with the other half in front of the telly, but it's probably to blame when you can't nod off a few hours later - and not just thanks to indigestion.

Large meals might make you feel tired, but when you lie down your poor tummy will be doing somersaults trying to break down all those stodgy carbs. Eat a slice at lunchtime instead.

Curry

Say no to spicy food before bed unless you want to be kept awake by heartburn, bloating and wind. Not pleasant, especially for the poor person that you have to share a duvet with!

Cereal

We're definitely guilty of filling up on this one as a midnight treat! Lots of cereals contain barley, oats and bran which slow down digestion. Warm milk is a much more tummy-soothing option.

Sweets

Drift off more easily by saving the sugary sweets for the school run when you really need an energy boost.

Dark chocolate

Sleep-zapping caffeine is not just hiding in tea, coffee, cola or energy drinks. It's also lurking in dark chocolate. Swap your fix for a couple of squares of white chocolate instead and still satisfy that sweet tooth.

Garlic

Heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux - sleep much more easily by steering clear of garlic at dinner time.