7 Desserts That Can Keep You Up at Night—and What to Have Instead

At the end of a long day, there's nothing like digging into a delicious dessert . Similarly, if you're at a special event or spending time with company, you might find yourself eating treats later at night. It's one of the sweetest parts of life, but there are some things to keep in mind. Enjoying dessert before bed can mess with your slumber, potentially leaving you tired and groggy the next day.

Does eating dessert automatically spell trouble for sleep? Not necessarily. But certain ingredients, portion sizes, and timing (especially when combined) can make falling or staying asleep more difficult. To learn more, we asked dietitians and a sleep medicine physician about desserts that disrupt your sleep, plus how to enjoy them without losing rest.

Meet Our Expert

• Dr. Kendra Becker,MD, sleep medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente Southern California

• Nicole Roach,RD, CDN, CDCES, lead dietitian at Northwell's Lenox Hill Hospital

• Pamela Mitri,RD, registered dietitian at JM Nutrition

Related: The No. 1 Bedtime Drink for Deeper Sleep, According to Experts

How Dessert Can Impact Sleep

The sleep-disrupting effects of certain desserts are related to several ingredients. This includes:

• Caffeine:As a stimulant, caffeine can negatively affect your sleep, especially if you consume it before bed. It can disrupt sleep latency—the time it takes to fall asleep—as well as sleep quality. "Specifically, it can reduce the amount of deep, slow-wave sleep and REM sleep you get, leaving you feeling unrefreshed the next morning," says Dr. Kendra Becker, MD, sleep medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

• Fat:"Foods that are high in fat will require more stomach acid for sufficient digestion," says Nicole Roach, RD, CDN, CDCES, lead dietitian at Northwell's Lenox Hill Hospital. Thus, if you consume high-fat foods before bed, there might not be enough time for them to be fully digested, potentially affecting your sleep, she notes.

• Sugar:"A sugary treat will cause a rapid spike in your blood glucose. To address this, your body will then release insulin, a hormone which [helps] your blood sugar return to a suitable level," says Roach. "Rapid rises and falls in blood sugar can cause the release of stress hormones, which can disrupt or affect sleep," she explains.

• Alcohol:Boozy desserts might be fun to eat, but alcohol can interfere with quality sleep.

Factors like portion size and timing also matter. For example, the larger the portion, the more you might feel these effects. Eating very close to bedtime can compound the effects, too.

Desserts That May Disrupt Sleep

The sleep-related effects of late-night desserts are different for everyone. It depends on many factors, including your own metabolism, lifestyle, and sensitivity to certain ingredients. But in general, the following desserts can impact your sleep, especially when eaten in large amounts or close to bedtime.

Chocolate Desserts

It's hard to imagine a world without chocolate desserts like cake or brownies . However, nighttime chocolate treats can harm your sleep, as they contain both caffeine and sugar. "The combination of caffeinated and sugary desserts is a double threat to your sleep," says Becker. First, the combination can rapidly raise your blood sugar. The caffeine boost will also increase your stress hormones, likely contributing to frequent nocturnal arousals during sleep, says Becker. This can worsen your ability to get deep sleep, she notes. Becker points to one study that found the combination of caffeine and high-sugar foods leads to poor-quality sleep.

Spicy Chocolate Treats

If a chocolate dessert contains chiles, it can disrupt your sleep even further. " Chile peppers contain capsaicin, which can create a burning sensation and may make existing heartburn feel worse," says Pamela Mitri, RD, registered dietitian at JM Nutrition. Roach agrees, noting that both spicy food and chocolate are considered to be gastric irritants, or foods that trigger reflux.

Coffee Desserts

" Tiramisu , coffee ice cream, and other caffeinated desserts may not have as much caffeine as a cup of coffee , but there is caffeine in them," says Becker. As mentioned, caffeine is a stimulant and can negatively affect your ability to fall (and stay) asleep. Its stimulating properties can even make your legs kick while sleeping, further disrupting sleep, notes Becker. So, it's important to avoid these kinds of desserts at night if you want to sleep well, she says.

Rich, High-Fat Desserts

"Large, rich desserts can be difficult to digest, especially when eaten close to bedtime," says Mitri. Examples include cheesecake , cream pies, and heavily frosted cakes. Big portions can also stretch the stomach, while the high-fat ingredients—such as cream and butter—can slow stomach emptying, says Mitri. When this happens, food stays in the stomach longer, creating more opportunities for stomach contents to move back up into the esophagus, according to Mitri. The result is reflux (i.e., heartburn, a sour taste, burping, bloating, or general indigestion), which is more likely to happen when you lie down soon after eating, she says. "Reflux can affect sleep by making it harder to fall asleep, causing nighttime awakenings, or creating discomfort when lying flat," Mitri notes.

Ice Cream Sundaes

Ice cream sundaes, particularly large portions, have several ingredients that disrupt sleep. For starters, ingredients like ice cream, whipped cream , chocolate sauce, and nuts are high in fat. "This may keep the stomach feeling full for longer and increase reflux risk in people who are susceptible," says Mitri. The high amount of sugar can cause a rapid rise in blood glucose, while chocolate ingredients may worsen reflux or contain caffeine.

Sugary Candy

When eaten in large amounts before bed, high-sugar candy or desserts may affect your sleep. "High-sugar desserts can affect your blood sugar by increasing or spiking your glucose quickly," says Becker. Your body responds by producing more insulin, which also increases stress hormones, potentially making it hard to sleep.

Alcohol-Spiked Desserts

You may want to think twice before eating treats like rum cake, bourbon balls, or liquor-filled chocolates before bed. Alcohol increases your heart rate , making it difficult to relax and sleep. It also decreases slow-wave sleep, as mentioned, which you need to feel rested. Even a small amount can disrupt your sleep, especially when it's combined with fat, sugar, and caffeine.

Does Timing Matter?

In the context of sleep and dessert, timing matters. If you enjoy sweet treats earlier in the day, they're unlikely to affect your sleep because your body has time to digest. However, if you eat them close to bedtime, they're more likely to cause sleep issues.

Luckily, it's possible to eat your cake and sleep too. "If you like to enjoy dessert, the best time is early evening or three hours before lying down," says Becker. Mitri agrees, noting that this timeframe gives the stomach time to empty and reduces the chance of reflux.

Factors like portion size, dessert type, and your medical history also matter. For example, a small, low-fat dessert may be tolerated closer to bedtime than a large sundae, according to Mitri. Similarly, if you're eating dessert later at night, the best move is to take a bite or two, notes Becker. This way, you won't eat enough to contribute to poor sleep or digestion, she says.

Meanwhile, if you have GERD, frequent heartburn, delayed stomach emptying, or a sensitive digestive system, you may need to wait more than three hours, says Mitri. The same goes if you're particularly sensitive to caffeine. If you don't have reflux, you may not need to follow a strict three-hour rule—but eating a large dessert immediately before bed may still cause fullness and discomfort, Mitri says.

How to Enjoy Dessert Without Losing Sleep

Every person (and dessert!) is different, so it's worth paying attention to how you sleep after eating certain foods. Overall, it's best to enjoy modest portions of dessert earlier in the evening rather than right before bed. Also, check labels for sleep-disrupting ingredients such as chocolate, caffeine, and alcohol.

You can also choose light, sweet treats that won't disrupt your sleep. Try tart cherries , which contain melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep, notes Roach. She also recommends Greek yogurt , chia seeds , and nuts , all of which have tryptophan, an amino acid that acts as a building block for melatonin.

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