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Michael Breus, PhD:

So most people are like, Michael, what could taste possibly have to do with sleep? Well, from that standpoint, what I like to talk to people about is what do you eat before bed, if you do eat before bed. So a lot of people, they get home from work, it's 8:30, they get the kids to bed, and then they are finally sitting down to a meal at 8:30, 9:00 at night, and then they are going to bed in a couple of hours. The body was not meant to digest lying down, okay? So what ends up happening is that we have a high proclivity for reflux if you've eaten and then go ahead and lie down. Now, we all know a lot about reflux, we've seen it in the news and there are a lot of medications out there for it but one of the easiest things to do is looking at what it is you've put in your body to avoid reflux and then not lying down right after the meal. Also, there are, uh, different foods out there, that may or may not have some effect on a person's ability to fall asleep. Things you want to watch out for are sodas before bed because they may have caffeine content, as well as the carbonation can give you gas and make you not feel so great when you're lying down.

coffee machine

Michael Breus, PhD:

Now, caffeine in and of itself, I don't have a problem with. I love a good cup of coffee and I know most people do. So I don't really have a problem with it but what I want people to do is use caffeine responsibly and know and understand that if you're not having a good night's rest, caffeine may be one of the culprits.