If late-night snacking is a sport, quite a number of us are Olympians in our own rights. To be clear from the get-go, gorging on grub at ungodly hours isn't a crime in itself. The sin lies more with what you eat and how your body reacts to it. Eating certain kinds of food close to bedtime can interfere with your sleep, mess with your digestion, and contribute to weight gain. And while you may be comforted by the image of a drooling pizza or a creamy tub of ice-cream, these favorites can be like an overactive drill sergeant on your digestive system while it's trying to snooze.

Pizza, loved by many, is a sleep-depriving suspect. The tomato sauce can wage an acidic warfare on your gut, and the high-fat content could provoke heartburn. Ice-cream, a comfort-food poster child, is packed with fat and sugar, wreaking havoc on your sleep quality and leading to weight gain. The potato chips, highly addictive yet highly refined, could send your blood sugar levels on a rollercoaster ride and interrupt sleep. Spicy foods, citrus fruits, heavy fibers like beans, and even dark chocolate have all been implicated in the realm of sleep-disturbing foods. Their crime ranges from triggering heartburn, indigestion to cranking up your body temperature.

However, this is not a call for a hunger strike before bed. Certain foods are not just innocent bystanders; they are your allies in your quest for good night sleep. Your go-to should be light snacks rich in protein and healthy fats that can balance your blood sugar levels without bombarding your digestive system. Also, an intake cap of 200 calories may be beneficial.

Food items like Kiwi, rich in serotonin, have impressive resumes when it comes to improving sleep. It's more about boosting your nutrition team with key players like lean protein, healthy fats, and sleep-enhancing nutrients like melatonin and tryptophan.

Bow out gracefully from late-night food items, notorious for their fat content, added sugar, and obesity-inducing, sleep-disrupting prowess. Instead, curate a snack menu that supports your body's bedtime routine. Your sleep, waistline, and overall health will thank you for it.