Chocolate High levels of caffeine in chocolate make it a poor choice for late-night snacking. During the latter stages of sleep, caffeine consumption can cause rapid eye movement (REM) to occur more frequently, which is why you're more likely to feel groggy the morning after the night before.
Chocolate contains caffeine, which makes it hard to fall asleep and keeps you from getting to the deep sleep stages you need to feel rested, according to Stokes.
Scientists also recommend the best time to eat chocolate is earlier in the day (between 9am -11am), making chocolate a great choice for an elevenses pick-me-up, as your palate has not been tainted by other flavours from lunch – something only one in five (20%) of Brits already do.
So, if you have trouble falling asleep, we suggest you steer clear of it for sure. Here's a tip that will help: don't eat chocolate at least three hours before bedtime. This will ensure that there's enough time to digest your food before you sleep.
Studies have found that the cocoa flavanols found in dark chocolate can help to improve sleep quality and duration. The flavanols are thought to affect the body's production of serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and sleep.
You should try to not eat any chocolate after around 4 or 5 pm to give your body time to metabolize its caffeine. Generally, it's also a good idea to stop eating at least 2 hours before turning in for the night to give your food time to digest.
Morning or nighttime chocolate intake did not lead to weight gain; Eating chocolate in the morning or in the evening can influence hunger and appetite, microbiota composition, sleep and more; A high intake of chocolate during the morning hours could help to burn fat and reduce blood glucose levels.
Theobromine, which increases heart rate and causes sleeplessness, is found in small amounts in chocolate, especially dark. The National Sleep Foundation recommends avoiding chocolate — as well as coffee, tea and soft drinks — before bedtime.
Don't Eat: Chocolate
Even though chocolate doesn't contain much of the stuff, even a little caffeine can disturb or halt the sleep-inducing chemical processes going on in your brain and body before bedtime, he says.
Drink water after eating chocolate
Drinking water helps to wash away lingering chocolate on the teeth, and also increases the flow of saliva in the mouth, which in turn works to neutralise the harmful acids produced by the sugar in the chocolate you've just consumed.
If your sweet-tooth is talking to you at night, it's a good idea to avoid chocolate. It contains a combination of ingredients like caffeine, cocoa, and fat – all of which can contribute to heartburn and acid reflux.
The bad news
Chocolate contains caffeine, the enemy of a good night's rest. In fact, the more cacao there is in a bar of chocolate, the more caffeine it contains, which is a chemical responsible for making us feel alert and disrupting our sleep.
So when exactly should you stop eating at night? Scientists can't agree on a single set time, but the consensus seems to be within three hours before bedtime. So if you go to bed at 11 p.m., don't eat after 8 p.m.
“If you are hungry, you should eat something, regardless of the time of day,” says Aimee Takamura, registered dietitian and director of wellness and sustainability at Restaurant Associates. “The act of eating late at night does not affect metabolism or lead to many of the adverse effects you may have heard of.
For many people, the ideal nighttime snack may consist of a simple 150-calorie option that is high in nutrients. One study showed that consuming a low-calorie carbohydrate or protein. View Source snack 30 minutes before sleep helped boost metabolism in the morning.
… Your two best friends for a restful night. Milk (and other dairy products) are a really good source of tryptophan. It's an amino acid that can help promote sleep, so it can come in particularly handy especially if you're used to tossing and turning before finally getting off to sleep.
According to Lauren Popeck, RD, a dietitian at Orlando Health, Greek yogurt is perfect for bedtime, because it contains the sleep-inducing chemical tryptophan. And because it's such a rich source of protein, Greek yogurt can also help you avoid that same glucose spike.
Chocolate that has been exposed to humidity or moved quickly from cold to hot temperatures can cause the sugar to crystallize. The result is a grainy, unpleasant texture, and while it's not harmful to consume, sugar bloom doesn't make for a very pleasant eating experience.