It can be tempting to enjoy a nice, fancy beverage after dinner. But it’s almost never a good idea. Here’s what just some of these beverages can do to your sleep cycle, and let’s not even get started on your waistline.
- Flavored water. This is different from dropping a slice of lime or some mint leaves into your water. We’re talking about things like Vitamin Water, which packs in 30 grams of sugar per bottle. That much sugar will not only make you gain weight, but will also mess with your sleep cycle.
- Milk. Milk can be a good source of some nutrients, but is also high in fat, cholesterol, and calories. Why add that to your dinner?
- Sports drinks. All sports drinks do is give you electrolytes, which is totally unnecessary if you’re not working out right after the gym.
- Energy drinks. This should be obvious. A Rockstar has 30 grams of sugar, and all the energy you’re supposed to get from the drink will be spent burning off that sugar. If you need to pull an all-nighter, stick to something with less sugar.
- Diet soda. There’s no convincing reason to drink soda anyway, but diet soda before bed is an especially bad idea. The artificial sweetener could lead you to want to eat even more, leaving you awake and digesting when you go to sleep. ##MN_RESP##
- Coffee with creamer. If you can drink caffeine before bed and still sleep soundly, go ahead and have that cup of coffee with your dessert. But adding creamer, like Coffee-Mate, adds hydrogenated oils and corn syrup to an otherwise harmless drink.
- Packaged coconut water. Coconut water can be great for you, but some of the packaged ones have added sugars. They also lack the fiber that makes coconut water so nutritious, so you’re basically just drinking sugary water.
