Quick summary: New insights from Cured Pharmacy indicate that popular World Cup late night snacks like pizza, crisps, and white toast can severely disrupt sleep patterns due to high acidity, dehydrating salt levels, and sudden blood sugar spikes. Although convenience foods are deeply embedded in football viewing culture, items containing refined carbohydrates or high-protein levels force the body to remain alert and work harder at digestion when it should be entering a restorative state. These nutritional warnings carry significant value for public healthcare practice and individual well being, demonstrating that making mindful dietary choices during major sporting events is essential to prevent chronic sleep deprivation and protect long-term mental and physical health.
With the World Cup bringing matches at irregular hours, many fans across the UK are staying up late or waking early, making smart food choices before bed more important than ever for quality sleep.
Tarun Kumar, Co-Founder and Superintendent Pharmacist of Cured Pharmacy, has highlighted the foods that could be disrupting sleep during this period of late-night viewing.
Pizza
A World Cup late-night staple for many fans, pizza might be making it harder to fall asleep after the final whistle because of the tomato sauce. Despite their numerous health benefits, tomatoes can disrupt sleep if eaten too close to bedtime. While they are a good source of vitamin C and potassium when consumed earlier in the day, eating them late in the evening may interfere with sleep patterns. Their high acidity can trigger indigestion, heartburn, and acid reflux, all of which can keep you awake for hours. Opting for lighter snacks later in the evening may help you wind down more easily.
Crisps
While easy to grab as a late-night snack, crisps’ high salt content could dehydrate the body overnight. Foods high in salt, including salted nuts, are among the worst choices for a good night’s sleep. It is recommended to avoid salty foods for at least 2–3 hours before bed to reduce the risk of disrupted sleep.
Instant noodles
An ultimate convenience food for many people across the UK, instant noodles might be one reason you are not getting a healthy night’s rest. Like many ultra-processed foods, instant noodles are linked to poorer sleep quality, more sleep disturbances, shorter sleep duration, and increased time taken to fall asleep. While they can provide iron, B vitamins, and manganese, they lack key nutrients, and frequent consumption may have a negative impact on sleep patterns.
Chicken
Despite containing tryptophan, an amino acid associated with improved sleep, high-protein foods such as chicken and meat may keep you awake at night, as the body uses more energy and takes longer to digest them. Similarly, processed meats such as salami and pepperoni may stimulate the brain when you are trying to wind down, due to tyramine, which can trigger the release of norepinephrine.
Toast
As tempting as a slice of toast can be to unwind in the evening, experts say it may be keeping your body more alert and hindering sleep. Rife with refined carbohydrates, white bread is a high glycaemic index food, meaning blood sugar levels spike shortly after consumption. This can create a brief surge in energy, followed by a crash during the night, which may disrupt sleep patterns. If you do not want to give up evening toast altogether, wholemeal bread is a better alternative due to its higher fibre content and more complex carbohydrates.