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Diet and Weight Loss Diet
How Your Diet Affects Your Sleep
Medically Reviewed On: September 20, 2001
As a registered dietitian, I see many clients who complain of fatigue due to poor sleep. If it is a chronic problem, I first tell them to check with their physician to rule out any medical causes. Once this has been done, I try to address lifestyle and/or dietary issues that may contribute to insomnia. By making some changes in your diet or lifestyle, you may be able to improve your sleep. I recommend the following guidelines:
- Do not use alcohol to help you fall asleep. Although alcohol may initially induce sleep, once it wears off, the sleep tends to be fragmented.
Limit caffeine during the 4 to 6 hours before bedtime. Approximately 50% of the caffeine consumed at 7 PM remains in the body at 11 PM. Remember that caffeine is present in many different foods, beverages and medications. The following are some examples of common caffeine sources:
| Coffee (5 oz. cup) |
| Brewed, drip method |
60 - 180 mg caffeine |
| Instant |
30 - 120 mg caffeine |
| Decaffeinated |
1 - 5 mg caffeine |
| Tea (5 oz. cup) |
| Brewed |
60 - 180 mg caffeine |
| Instant |
25 - 50 mg caffeine |
| Iced (12 oz. Cup) |
67 - 76 mg caffeine |
| Chocolate |
| dark/semisweet |
1 oz. - 5 - 35 mg caffeine |
| Soft drinks |
| cola (12 oz.) |
36 - 47 mg caffeine |
| Non-prescription drugs |
| Dexatrim |
200 mg caffeine |
| No Doz |
100 mg caffeine |
| Excedrin |
65 mg caffeine |
- Limit smoking prior to bedtime, as nicotine is a stimulant.
- Avoid heavy or spicy foods just prior to bed. These meals can interfere with sleep by causing heartburn.
- If the hunger associated with an empty stomach keeps you from sleeping, try having a light snack such as crackers, cereal and milk, or yogurt before going to bed.
- Limit liquids of any kind for at least 90 minutes before bedtime if the need to urinate wakes you up in the middle of the night. It takes about 90 minutes for the body to process liquids. This problem is especially common in older men.
- Regular exercise can increase your odds of getting a good night's sleep. But avoid exercise within 3 hours prior to going to bed as this will boost alertness and have a negative effect on sleep. Studies have shown that exercising more than 3 to 6 hours before going to bed has the most positive effect on falling asleep and staying asleep.
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