5 Nighttime Mistakes That Can Affect Your Heart

5. Eating dinner too late or too much

One of the most common mistakes is to eat a heavy dinner shortly before bedtime.

After a large meal, the body directs a large amount of blood to the digestive system to process food. This forces the heart to work harder.

During the day, the body can handle this effort. But when you lie down immediately after eating, the digestive system keeps working while the body tries to come to rest.

This can lead to:

• increased heart rate
• high blood pressure at night
• heavy digestion
• disturbance of deep sleep

Specialists recommend finishing the last meal at least three hours before sleeping.

If hunger strikes at night, it’s best to opt for something light, such as:

• a small handful of almonds
• a few slices of turkey
• a glass of warm milk

These foods do not overload the body before rest.

4. Drinking too much water right before bed

Staying hydrated is important, but drinking large amounts of water just before bed can cause problems.

This causes the person to wake up several times during the night to go to the bathroom, a condition known as nocturia.

Whenever someone abruptly gets out of bed, the cardiovascular system must quickly adapt to a change in blood pressure.