Can’t sleep at night? 5 foods that can cause anxiety and insomnia

From the usual suspect caffeine, sugar to cheese, potatoes and tomatoes, here’s a list of foods that may be making you anxious due to their excessive consumption.

Anxiety is one of the leading causes of insomnia. In most cases, we think that anxiety is psychological, and which is true but did you know the kind of food you eat can also cause anxiety? Eating the right food at the right time can help you to balance your nervous system, which can prevent anxiety. Therefore, we got in touch with nutritionists Kavita Devgan and Tripti Tandon, who give us a list of food that maybe triggering your anxiety.

Coffee

One of the major reason for that you have anxiety and insomnia, is because of excessive consumption of coffee. It increases stress hormone and it tends blocks sleep promoting adenosine receptors in the brain. Once, you have consumed it, it takes around 16-24 hours to leave our system. The best remedy is to slowly cut down its consumption.

Sugar

This goes without saying but one should avoid food that contains refined sugar. If you consume excessive refined sugar, your energy level goes up because of an insulin surge and then after that, your blood sugar goes down. This leaves you feeling tired and anxious. When blood sugar levels drop from high to low, hormones adrenalin and cortisol are released, which are the reason you feel anxious.

Food that is aged, fermented or cured

Food such as cheese or salami, which is fermented, smoked or cured, can cause anxiety. During fermentation process, the protein in the food is broken down by the bacteria into tiny molecules called biogenic amines. Biogenic amines tend to accumulate as the food ages. And one of the most common biogenic amines that is found in fermented food is histamine, which is a powerful neurotransmitter. Histamine causes anxiety because it has the ability to increase adrenaline in our bodies.

Alcohol

Alcohol acts as a depressant, interferes with the production of serotonin and hinders the metabolism. You may think that it can help you sleep but do you know that it also spikes your blood sugar levels, making you feel restless.

Plants from nightshade family

Plants from the nightshade family such as potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and goji berries produce a natural pesticide called glycoalkaloids. Glycoalkaloids are produced to kill insects and worms to protect the planets. And since we consume them, it is also toxic to us. They block the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which results in over- stimulation of our nervous system leading to anxiety.