Why sleep with dark chocolateImage Credit Source: Getty Images
Dark Chocolate Sleep Connection: On hearing the name of dark chocolate, most people have a smile on their face. Due to its taste, texture and health characteristics, it is considered healthy treat. But do you know that dark chocolate can also work to make you sleep? Yes, despite being healthy, dark chocolate contains some elements that can spoil your sleep cycle and a hormonal reason behind it is hidden.
Dark chocolate may be considered healthy, but elements like caffeine and theobromin present in it can disturb your sleep. Both these compounds affect your brain sleeping hormone melatonin levels, which can delay sleep or break down again and again. Especially if it is eaten at night, then its effect is felt more. So if you are struggling with insomnia or sleep disturbances, then consume dark chocolate carefully and at the right time.
What happens in dark chocolate?
Dr. Deepak Suman in the Department of Medicine at Safdarjung Hospital says that Kidark chocolate contains high quantity of cocoa and less sugar or milk. It is rich in many essential nutrients like antioxidants, fiber, iron, magnesium and flavonoids. But along with this, caffeine and theobromin are also present in it, these two things can be disturbed in your sleep along with its tastyness.
Caffeine’s direct effect on sleep hormones
Caffeine present in dark chocolate is also found in coffee, both who works to keep the brain alert. When you consume caffeine, it reduces the amount of hormones that make melatonin formed in your brain. Melatonin is the hormone that tells our body that it is time to sleep. When the caffeine presses it, it may be late for sleep or sleep can break again and again.
How to sleep in sleep
Theobromin is a stimulant that accelerates the heartbeat and puts the body in alert mode. Dark chocolate has high amount of theobromin and its effect is slightly longer than caffeine. This is the reason that even after a few hours of eating dark chocolate, you do not sleep even if the body is tired.
How much and when to eat?
If you want to get the benefits of dark chocolate but do not want to spoil sleep, then eat it in the first part of the day like morning or afternoon. Eating dark chocolate after dinner or before bedtime can be a big mistake. Especially if you are struggling with any sleep related problem (such as insomnia or repeated sleep), then it would be better to avoid it completely.
Effect on everyone is different
The thing to note is that everyone’s body is different. Some people also keep a little chocolate awake overnight. At the same time, some people fall asleep even after eating dark chocolate. If you notice yourself that after eating chocolate, your sleep is disrupting, then this is a sign for you.