We all know how important sleep is to our health, so most of us try to do what we can to get as much quality rest as possible. There's nothing quite like the feeling of waking up from a well-rested sleep! Typically we know to avoid caffeine in the evening and we’re aware that sugar and alcohol can interfere with our shut-eye as well. Even though you should try to avoid eating before bed as much as possible, but there’s one “healthy” thing we should definitely be limiting before bedtime - foods high in protein.
According to Dr. Nada Milosavljevic, a Harvard-trained doctor who specializes in a combination of Eastern and Western medicine, high-protein foods can disrupt sleep because they’re hard for your gut to digest. "It takes a lot of digestive power to break down that food, and your digestive juices are activated," she explains."Your GI tract requires energy and is fully engaged in the process, which requires blood flow to be directed to that part of the body." And when that’s happening as you’re preparing to drift off to dreamland, it’s harder for your body to get into restoration mode. So you’re better off getting your protein in earlier in the evening and sipping on chamomile tea before bed so you’re ready to catch some ZZZs.