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Sleep Knowledge

5 min.

28 March 2023

How chocolate affects sleep

#chocolate effects on sleep

We all love tucking into a bar of chocolate from time to time, especially around birthdays, Christmas, and Easter, with the sweet treat playing a part in many seasonal celebrations throughout the year. While most of us are already aware that chocolate isn’t the healthiest snack, best enjoyed in moderation, did you know that it can also impact your sleep?

Throughout this article we will delve into everything chocolate and sleep related. We will discuss the potential benefits of chocolate, the impacts of dark chocolate and sleep and if there is a positive correlation between hot chocolate and sleep. 

Read on for guidance and advice on how to enjoy chocolate without ruining your sleep.

Benefits of chocolate on sleep

Dark chocolate contains magnesium

One way in which chocolate can actually aid you with sleep, is the fact that dark chocolate contains magnesium. Magnesium is one ingredient found in certain food that is known to actually promote better quality sleep. 

With some claiming that it helps to relieve anxiety and depression, magnesium can help to calm you, assisting with getting off to sleep initially and staying asleep. Adding a couple of teaspoons of 100% pure cocoa powder to a cup of water or milk is one way to help you cope with feelings of stress, helping you get the rest you need. 

Chocolate has antioxidant benefits

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, has been shown to have antioxidant benefits that can positively affect sleep. Antioxidants are substances that are able to prevent or delay some types of cell damage, and can assist in immune function that many believe promotes better quality sleep.  

Chocolate can prevent circadian desynchrony

Some studies have found that eating chocolate, especially for breakfast, can prevent circadian desynchrony. This issue often affects shift workers and individuals who regularly wake at different times. The study theorises that by eating a piece of chocolate along with breakfast, is enough of a stimulus to make sure circadian rhythms of shift workers or those suffering from jet lag are synchronised. 

This hypothesis is mirrored in another study that suggests that chocolate at breakfast can promote cardioprotection, brain function and mood. This in turn helps to synchronise the human internal body clock, which is often knocked off by social life, work, and the ever-growing presence of technology in our lives.

Potential drawbacks of chocolate on sleep

Chocolate contains caffeine

One of the main ways in which chocolate can have an effect on your sleep is due to the fact that chocolate contains caffeine. As obvious as it might sound, caffeine is a stimulant that can have a serious impact on sleep. This makes it more difficult to fall asleep in the first instance and also has a negative effect on the quality of sleep. 

While dark chocolate is often seen as the ‘healthier’ alternative, in this instance it may not be the case. Dark chocolate actually contains much more caffeine than milk chocolate. This means that if you’re looking for a sweet treat in the hours before bed, it may be the better option to go for the milk chocolate, or something entirely different.

Chocolate can cause heartburn

Another way that chocolate can impact a person’s sleep is by causing heartburn. Chocolate is one of the main causes of heartburn, with one study recommending heartburn sufferers should avoid eating chocolate. 

While it may be something people are willing to put up with throughout the day, it is simply not worth the impact on your sleep. 

If you are unfortunate enough to be affected by heartburn when you eat chocolate, it is best to avoid it as heartburn has been found to cause sleep disturbances. If this is the case, it’s always the best option to avoid eating chocolate too close to bedtime. 

Other examples of foods which cause heartburn include spicy and citrusy dishes, which should also be avoided to ensure the best possible sleep. 

Chocolate is high in sugar

Many people are acutely aware that most chocolate, especially the milk variety found in most Easter eggs and festive treats, is high in sugar. 

While it's generally okay to eat chocolate in moderation, and as part of a balanced diet, you may want to avoid eating it in the evening or before you try to sleep. Not only does excess sugar have negative effects on our weight and other parts of our general health, studies show it can also contribute to poor quality sleep.

Does dark chocolate help you sleep?

Answering the question of whether dark chocolate helps you sleep is not quite as simple as a yes or no. While it does have potential benefits in terms of its antioxidant properties and magnesium component among other factors, the caffeine content can counteract this. 

It is always best to work out what is best for your own body, as everyone is different. Seeing what works for yourself is the best way to ensure that you get a good night's sleep and wake up feeling your best, every time.

Does hot chocolate help you sleep?

While many people associate a hot drink before bed as something which can help aid their sleep, more often than not these drinks can actually keep you up at night. 

While drinks such as tea and coffee can obviously keep you up due to their high caffeine content, hot chocolate can prevent you from sleeping too. The main reasons for this is the caffeine content and the fact that most hot chocolate drinks are the milkier variety that contains more sugars. 

For those looking for an alternative, green teas or warm milk can help you sleep, and do not contain large amounts of sugar or caffeine.

Sleep sweetly with Sunrise by Emma 

One way to ensure you have the best sleep possible every time is to keep up to date with all of our resources on sleep, right here at Sunrise by Emma. 

We cover sleep wellness topics such as how social media can impact sleep and the best sleep practices for when you have a new partner to keep you as informed as possible on getting the best sleep. All of our pieces are reviewed by real sleep experts, so you know you can trust the information is the best available.

Although learning about sleep best practices is key to a good night’s rest, there’s other elements. Things like ensuring you have a premium mattress are also essential to good quality sleep. 

The Emma Sleep Shop stocks the best beds, mattresses and pillows on the market to ensure you wake up feeling your best every time. Explore the shop today to invest in your sleep.

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