Doctor Reveals the No. 1 Eating Habit That Wakes You Up at Night

If you tend to wake up in the middle of the night between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., there may be a physiological reason behind that frustrating sleep disruption—one that has less to do with stress or screen time and more to do with what’s happening metabolically while you rest.

According to Kelsey Jordan, DC, a chiropractor and Health Restoration Practitioner at The Wellness Way in Brentwood, Tennessee, the problem most often stems from a “blood sugar regulation issue.”

“What’s happening is that if our blood sugar is kind of on this roller coaster throughout the day and it’s not regulated, when we go to bed at night—in the middle of the night—blood sugar is going to drop, which inversely spikes cortisol because cortisol works to bring your blood sugar back up,” Jordan, also a health content creator, explained in a recent social media post.

RELATED: Dietitian Shares 5 Healthy Late-Night Snacks That Can Help You Sleep.

Cortisol, often referred to as the body’s primary stress hormone, follows a natural daily rhythm. Levels are typically lowest at night and begin rising in the early morning to help you wake up. But when blood sugar drops too low during sleep, cortisol may surge earlier than intended.

In one sense, your body may be doing exactly what it’s designed to do—protecting you from low blood sugar—but the side effect is a jolt of alertness at a time when you should be sleeping soundly.

“If that cortisol spikes to bring your blood sugar up, it’s also going to wake you up because it’s very stimulatory. That’s oftentimes what I find with my patients,” Jordan notes.

How can you avoid those unwelcome wake-up calls? Jordan recommends eating healthy fat before bed—”something that’s going to be a slow release so you can stay asleep and keep that blood sugar regulated,” she explains.

The keyword here is “healthy.” Foods high in saturated fat can actually have an opposite effect on blood sugar regulation, note experts from Michigan State University: “Dietary fat does not have an immediate effect on blood sugar levels, but consuming a meal high in fat can slow digestion and make it more difficult for insulin to work correctly,” they write.

“Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas which helps move the glucose from the food that you eat into the cells of the body to be used as energy,” they add.

Beyond temporary dysregulation of blood sugar, this could also put you at higher risk of Type 2 diabetes in the long run.

“Many studies show that obesity (in particular, abdominal obesity), physical inactivity, a high-fat diet and a diet rich in saturated fatty acids can increase the risk of diabetes. Controlling fat intake is one of many steps we can take towards creating a healthier lifestyle,” notes the MSU site.

RELATED: 11 Bedtime Routines to Get Your Best Sleep Ever.

So, as you wind down each evening, you can set yourself up for short-term sleep improvements as well as better long-term health by opting for healthy, monounsaturated fats from natural, plant-based sources.

Jordan recommends a tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil, or half of an avocado, for best results. And, as the American Heart Association (AHA) points out, nuts, seeds, and butters made from those ingredients also make healthy options.

Finally, timing matters, too: Aim to stop eating at least two hours before bedtime to keep your blood sugar stable as you sleep, Sleep Foundation advises.