Many of us have sleep nights for various reasons, so the last thing we need is to add to our sleepless nights by eating food that keeps us awake or upsets our stomachs. Having our late-night food decisions not work in our favor is the last thing we need when we’re already stressed out. Everyone likes to snack before bedtime, but what you decide to eat can drastically affect how you’re going to sleep that night. While it’s true that some foods help you sleep better, others can do a number on your body and result in a lot of sleepless nights. Incorporating a healthy diet and eating appropriate foods before bed that won’t make it more challenging to fall asleep is recommended. The Body Reboot book discusses how having a healthy diet and focusing on your health can make all the difference in the world. Eating fewer carbs and concentrate on healthy eats is essential, as is avoiding the foods that may interrupt sleep.

Celery

Even though celery is very low in carbohydrates and high in fiber (one medium stalk is just 1.2 carbohydrates), it’s still not the best night time food selection. Fox reveals why this is the case and it’s quite surprising!

Seeing celery on this list might surprise you, but there’s a simple reason for it: celery is a natural diuretic. What that means is it’s going to make you pee a bit more than usual.

Diuretics elevate the rate of urination because they push water through the system. So that means that if you’re dipping into too much celery right before bed, your body might wake you out of your slumber for a pee break.

Vegetables are some of the most nutrient-rich foods you can give your body, but avoid ones like celery for the sake of uninterrupted sleep.

Garlic

Even though garlic is yet another keto staple because it’s low in carbs and high in fiber, that still doesn’t make it the best thing to eat at night. Fox says it can cause indigestion and let’s not forget another reason why you shouldn’t have garlic at night – it makes your breath smell terrible! If you have a significant other, I doubt they’ll appreciate your bad breath.

You might want to avoid garlic before bed if you’re sleeping with a partner, but it’s best avoided for reasons besides bad breath. Garlic is known as a “hot herb,” and, along with spicy food, it tends to have some properties in it that can cause heartburn.

It’s known to sometimes have the side effect of upsetting the stomach, so if you have a weak stomach or are vulnerable to acid reflux, the last thing you want to do is light the fire right before you lie down to rest.

Large Portions of Red Meat

Red meat is important to eat on a low carb diet, but too much of it late at night can result in an upset stomach. As PopSugar recommends, don’t avoid protein altogether, just don’t eat as much as you usually would.

Red meat and other proteins: Like fatty foods, eating red meats late at night will sit in your stomach and make it hard for you to fall asleep while you're digesting (red meat may affect you the worst, but eating a large portion of chicken or pork would have the same effect as well). You don't have to avoid protein altogether, just make sure you go for lean and small portions, like deli-sliced turkey breast or a cup of yogurt.

Reader’s Digest supports Popsugar by adding to their thoughts on how meat, or in this case turkey, by stating that it can keep you awake. However, eating salmon and game meat might be a better option.

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, make sure you never these 10 things if you want to live a long life.

Dark Chocolate

According to The New York Times, dark chocolate is another thing to avoid eating before bedtime. Why? Not only does it have caffeine, but it contains other ingredients that may keep you up at night. It sure is a tasty keto snack (as long as you eat it in moderation), but it may not be a good idea to snack on dark chocolate before bed.

In other words, a dark chocolate dessert, eaten late enough, might leave you counting plenty of sheep.

And chocolate has other stimulants. One is theobromine, the compound that makes chocolate dangerous to dogs and cats because they metabolize it so slowly. Theobromine, which increases heart rate and causes sleeplessness, is found in small amounts in chocolate, especially dark. The National Sleep Foundation recommends avoiding chocolate — as well as coffee, tea and soft drinks — before bedtime.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Although veggies are super healthy to eat, especially on the ketogenic diet, Delish argues it’s a better idea to eat them at lunch. It turns out vegetables have a lot of fiber, which can take the body a long time to digest late at night.

According to new research aggregated by Eat Clean, certain veggies are better eaten at lunch. Cruciferous vegetables—like broccoli and cauliflower—are loaded with vitamins that are great for you, but they also carry a large amount of insoluble fiber, which takes forever to digest. Holistic nutritionist Elissa Goodman explains that if you eat these vegetables before bed, “your body will still be working on digesting it while you drift off,” which will in turn keep you from getting a comfortable night of sleep.

Spicy Foods

Eating food that’s spicy may help with weight loss, but if you eat it before bed, at least according to Popsugar, you may experience acid reflux and similar stomach issues.

Spices may be a natural cure-all for a range of ailments, but when you're craving something to eat late at night, step away from the hot sauce. Spicy, peppery foods may upset your stomach, and the chemicals in spicy food can also stimulate your senses, making it hard to fall asleep.

Food Network also mentions how spicy foods can lead to stomach upset late at night. Not only that, but eating spicy food can also make it more difficult to fall asleep.  

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.

Tomato Sauce

Tomato sauce is yet another thing you should avoid eating at night. It’s highly acidic, and if you’re prone to heartburn, this wouldn’t be the smartest thing to eat. Delish explains further why this is the case:

Tomato sauce is another veggie-based favorite to avoid. Because of its high acidity, it's often the cause of morning-after heartburn and indigestion. You can still eat a bowl of spaghetti for dinner, but dietitian Alissa Rumsey says it's best to eat it at least 3 hours before going to bed. Spicy foods, which are also notorious for causing heartburn, make for an extra restless night of sleep because they raise your core body temperature. So if you're wondering why you had a nightmare after munching on some spicy penne arrabiata, now you have an answer.

Water

This one is speculative, but Reader’s Digest argues that if you drink a lot of water before bedtime, then you’ll likely have to get up throughout the night to go to the restroom. To avoid sleep interruption, try drinking water during daytime hours and not right before bed.

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.

No one likes dealing with sleepless nights, which is why it’s important to avoid the above foods and make your health a priority. That’s why we’re making it our mission to help others learn how they can improve their health through a low carb diet. At the time of writing this post, we're giving away free copies of the Body Reboot book. Cover the cost of shipping, and we’ll send you a FREE book. Go over to this page to see if there are any remaining copies.

Sources: Fox News, Popsugar, The New York Times, Food Network, Reader’s Digest