The holiday season is a time for gathering with friends and family, and such events mean tempting food and drinks. However, overindulging can interfere with your sleep, dimming your seasonal cheer. Should you cut out specific drinks and treats for better sleep, and if so, which should you avoid? Here’s what you should know to craft your plan to remain well-rested enough to enjoy the festivities.
Does Overindulging Hinder Sleep? The Science
While a hearty meal might make you feel lethargic, it could hinder your ability to get your sleep. Overindulging before bedtime increases the risk of heartburn, and GERD can leave you feeling unrested, even if you don’t remember waking up during the night. Did you have a bit too much hot salsa with your tamales? Spicy foods can slightly raise your internal body temperature, making it harder to fall asleep, as most people rest best when cooler.
Additionally, the saturated fats in fried foods, meats and dairy products can interrupt your slow-wave sleep, which many scientists consider the deepest and most restorative. The problems compound if you drink alcohol, which can also interfere with REM patterns.
That’s not the only trouble with alcohol. According to Dr. Rimas Geiga, doctor and clinical nutritionist at Glowbar LDN and Martin Seeley, senior sleep expert at MattressNextDay, alcoholic fermentation produces congeners, compounds that can increase hangover severity. Choosing versions lower in these substances helps, but choosing to drink will still impact your sleep patterns.
Many alcoholic beverages also contain a hefty dose of sugar, as do seasonal treats. High-sugar foods and drinks lead to a glucose spike followed by a crash, and the resulting hypoglycemia can wake you in the night. Worse, you could endure more frequent nightmares, wake up bathed in sweat and have heart palpitations that make it tough to return to slumber.
Timing Matters
Holiday gatherings often take place in the evening after the workday ends. Whenever possible, try to dine early, reserving the remainder of your visit for mixing and mingling. It’s best to finish eating at least two to three hours before turning in for the night. Otherwise, your body directs its resources to digestion, which creates energy that can keep you awake.
Avoid These Treats for Better Sleep
The good news is you don’t have to eliminate all your holiday favorites. However, cutting out these treats — or indulging in them earlier in the day — can result in better sleep.
- Heavy, meat-laden meals: Be especially careful with beef and pork. Though most meats take longer to digest, these two types of meat have a different metabolic impact than fish, chicken or turkey. If you plan to serve a roast or a suckling pig complete with an apple in its mouth, schedule dinner for earlier in the evening.
- Foods high in saturated or trans fats: Unfortunately, this includes lasagna, which has become a popular holiday alternative in some families. Other examples include fried foods, red meats, baked goods and fried snacks such as chips.
- Foods high in sugar: You already know you should eat things like cookies, candy, brownies, pie and cake in moderation. However, watch out for added sugar in unexpected places, like tomato sauce.
- Spicy foods: Though the capsaicin in hot peppers offers anti-inflammatory goodness, these foods impact your body temperature, so you should only eat them earlier in the day.
Cut Out These Drinks for Better Sleep
Many of the above rules also apply to beverages. For example, a single Starbucks frappuccino contains 35 grams of sugar and oodles of caffeine. It’s no mystery to many that too much go-juice before bed can leave you tossing and turning.
You also know that alcohol isn’t the greatest, but the holidays are for making merry. Must you cut out every drink for better sleep? If you can’t resist the occasional indulgence, Geiga and Seeley recommend the following tips for minimizing your sleep disruption.
- Sip alcohol with fruit juice: Vodka, gin and light rum have fewer congeners than darker beverages like whiskey or red wine. Fruit juice further neutralizes congeners to reduce your hangover risk.
- Ditch fizzy mixtures: Carbonation leads to faster alcohol absorption, so choose water or juice.
- Pace yourself: Dilute your drinks with ice and alternate a glass of water or club soda for each alcoholic beverage.
- Skip the power juice combo: Mixing alcohol and caffeine can be dangerous for your heart, and caffeine is well-known for disrupting sleep.
Healthy Holiday Alternatives
You can also search for healthier alternatives to holiday favorites that you can indulge in without guilt. For example, instead of stopping at Starbucks, take a moment to whip up a homemade superfood latte that supplies your body with nutritional benefits. For instance, Blume has a new line that tastes like cocoa but contains maca for digestion and other adaptogenic herbs. Adaptogens are natural herbs that help your body handle stress, which many people have in abundance around the holidays.
You can also experiment with low-sugar, low-fat versions of your favorite recipes. For example, substituting applesauce for oil can preserve the moisture of baked goods while reducing their fat content.
Sleep Well Throughout the Holidays
You can enjoy the holiday season even more when you cut out these drinks and treats for better sleep. You’ll boost your energy levels, giving you more pep to enjoy the festivities.