Sleep Hygiene Tip 7: Watch What You Eat & Drink

It’s another Wisdom Wednesday, where we share evidenced tips, insights, and more. This week, our sleep hygiene series highlights the need to Watch What You Eat & Drink.

What you put into your body during the day affects your sleep at night. Cutting back on caffeine, being mindful of alcohol, and avoiding heavy meals before bed are simple habits that support deeper, more restorative sleep. Similarly, sleep can also affect hunger cues and how we metabolize food.

Caffeine

Cut back on caffeine — especially after lunch. It can stay in your body for 6–8 hours, making it harder to fall asleep the later you have it. Try switching to decaf or

herbal tea in the afternoon.

Alcohol

It can make you feel sleepy fast, but it disrupts deep, restorative sleep later

in the night. It can cause more tossing and turning, lighter sleep, and waking up tired. If drinking alcohol, try to stop 3–4 hours before bed.

Heavy Meals

Skip heavy meals close to bedtime - Large or spicy meals can cause discomfort or heartburn. Digestion can disrupt the process of falling and staying asleep. Try to keep your last big meal 2–3 hours before bed.

Sleep, Hunger, & Metabolism

Poor sleep health dysregulates hormones that control appetite and energy and negatively affects how you metabolize food, even healthy food.

Why It Matters

Your body sleeps best when it’s not working on digestion or handling

stimulants. Watching what you eat and drink before bed leads to falling asleep more quickly, less tossing & turning, deeper, more restorative sleep, and increased morning energy.

References

American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2017). Healthy Sleep Habits. AASM Sleep Education. http://sleepeducation.org/essentials-in-sleep/healthy-sleep-habits.

Dewald-Kaufmann, J. F., Oort, F. J., & Meijer, A. M. (2014). The effects of sleep extension and sleep hygiene advice on sleep and depressive symptoms in adolescents: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 55(3), 273-283. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12157

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Sleep deprivation and obesity. The Nutrition Source. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sleep/

Irish, L. A., Kline, C. E., Gunn, H. E., Buysse, D. J., & Hall, M. H. (2015). The role of sleep hygiene in promoting public health: A review of empirical evidence. Sleep

Medicine Reviews, 22, 23-36. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2014.10.001

Vigoureux, T. F., Lee, S., Burton, O. M., & Almeida, D. M. (2019). Stressor reactivity to insufficient sleep and its association with body mass index in middle-aged

workers. Journal of Sleep Research, 1-10. DOI: 10.1111/jsr.12955

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