The perfect way to end the day for some of us would be eating a piece of dark chocolates. The presence of antioxidants and lower levels of sugar in the dark chocolates would make them a healthier treat. Not many of us would know that the dark chocolates could harm our body also.
These things will happen if we consume dark chocolates during the night before sleeping.
Positive effects:
Body will repair itself:
Both inflammation as well as oxidative stress would be removed by eating dark chocolates containing flavonoids. Truth is that the antioxidants would support our overnight cell recovery when we consume dark chocolates at night.
Boost our mood:
It is believed that eating dark chocolates during the night would lift our mood after a long day. Feel good chemicals like endorphins and serotonin would be stimulated. By this, we could feel happy and relaxed before going to bed. It is good to eat in moderation.
Lowers stress and calms down nerves:
Over-thinking would be high especially in the night. So, eating dark chocolates containing magnesium would bring calmness in us and stress would get reduced.
Negative effects:
Sleep disturbances:
Caffeine and theobromine are present in the dark chocolates and these are stimulants. Therefore, intake of dark chocolates in the night would affect the sleep. If we eat dark chocolates too late in the night, then our sleep could get delayed plus we could get a lowered deep sleep quality etc.
Late night cravings for sugar:
It is known that dark chocolates have less sugar content when compared with milk chocolates. Bitter fact is that eating dark chocolates at night could trigger sugar cravings in the night. The blood sugar would be spiked briefly and this would force us to snack again. For uninterrupted sleep, stable blood sugar levels are important.
Chances of acidity or discomfort:
After eating dark chocolates late at night, those persons prone to acidity etc would feel uneasy or disiscomfort. As esophageal muscles get relaxed due to theobromine, acidity symptoms would worsen Therefore,, it would be good to eat dark chocolates in the evening and in small amounts.
When to eat dark chocolates?
This leads to an important question now – When to eat dark chocolates?
It would be good to eat dark chocolates in the night one to two hours before going to bed and not right before sleeping. Portion control is very important and combining it with a herbal tea would provide more relaxation during night.
