Health Tip: Avoid These Beverages to Fight Insomnia

(HealthDay News) — Traveling between time zones can create havoc with your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

But you can improve your odds by avoiding certain beverages, the National Sleep Foundation says. Here are the foundation’s suggestions for what to remove from your diet while you’re traveling long distances:

Caffeine — A cup of coffee can produce a stimulating effect as soon as 15 minutes after drinking it. And it can affect your sleep pattern for about six hours. So don’t drink coffee at 4 p.m. and expect to fall asleep quickly at 9 p.m.
Alcohol — Alcohol can initially make someone feel sleepy, but it actually affects chemicals in your body that tell you when to wake up and when to sleep. While you might fall asleep quickly after a glass of wine, you may end up feeling wide awake in the middle of the night.
Soda — The carbonation in soda can cause bloating and stomach pressure, resulting in heartburn. This can keep you up at night.