Nutritionist named insomnia-causing foods

An evening meal can negatively affect sleep, for example, if it includes foods high in caffeine. On March 20, Oksana Mikhaleva, an endocrinologist and nutritionist at SM Clinic, Ph.D., told Izvestia about which food can cause insomnia.

"I would like to note that not only coffee and strong tea, but also chocolate are distinguished by their high caffeine content. Therefore, if you want to fall asleep without problems, I would recommend eliminating this product in the evening," she advised.

Mikhaleva also noted that in the evening it is necessary to exclude fatty foods — fast food, fried foods, fatty meat and sauces. They require prolonged digestion, forcing the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) to work for a long time. In addition, such food can cause unpleasant sensations in the digestive tract. All this can interfere with normal sleep, the nutritionist emphasized.

"It's not just fatty foods that are dangerous in this regard. Excess protein in dinner can also affect the quality of sleep. It also stimulates digestive processes and provokes a feeling of heaviness in the stomach, which, of course, does not contribute to falling asleep in any way," Mikhaleva said.

The nutritionist emphasized that it is better to have dinner 2-3 hours before bedtime. If you eat later, digestive activity and the release of hormones that regulate metabolism (insulin, glucagon-like peptide) can disrupt the body's natural sleep preparation processes, she explained.

Earlier, on March 14, Sergo Tsenteradze, a neurologist and somnologist at the Department of Sleep Medicine at UCB No. 3 of the Sechenov University Clinical Center, told Izvestia that sleep disorders can be a factor provoking depression. He stressed that sleep is essential for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. So, even one sleepless night leads to an accelerated accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain, a protein that plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.