Food and sleep. Two of the most basic human necessities. We definitely love both, so much so that we’ve romanticised the idea of eating where we sleep as a fun and relaxing activity. Breakfast in bed. Snacks during sleepovers. But is eating in bed really a good idea?
Admit it, many of us are guilty of having a snack or a meal (and in some cases meals) in bed at some point in our lives. Some of you might even be reading this article in bed while munching down on some food! While we all need to get a healthy amount of food and sleep every day, it’s actually unhealthy for us to eat where we sleep.
Crumbs and Critters
Getting food crumbs on your bed is inevitable if you regularly eat in bed. Not only does this get your sheets and mattress dirty, you are basically opening up a buffet for those creepy crawlies that love to munch on stray food particles that you leave behind. You don’t want to be inviting in cockroaches, flies, and ants to be your bed buddies which may lead them to eventually infest your whole house.
Messes from food or spilled drinks can also be a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. So unless you have a waterproof mattress, you’ll probably end up with sticky stains that you might never fully be able to get rid of and that will invite in tiny critters for a sleepover.
Keeping Your Food Down
It may seem like a minor detail, but when you eat in bed, you usually don’t sit up that way you would at the dinner table. This puts your digestive tract in an awkward position. When your position is more slanted or horizontal, this puts you at risk of an acid reflux which won’t be good for you, your food, or the whole experience of eating in bed.
More Food and Less Sleep
There are also a couple of detrimental psychological effects of eating in bed. Who would have thought right? The more often you eat in bed, the more your body associates the space with activities other than sleeping. This could be watching Netflix on your laptop, using social media, or a number of other activities that you do while eating in bed. All of these can disrupt your sleep! So instead of associating your mattress and pillow with a good night’s rest, your body ends up wide awake, anticipating other activities.
Eating in bed can also lead you to overeat. Let’s face it, we almost never just eat in bed. We’re probably online, reading a book, or watching a movie and before we realise it, we’ve already eaten way more than we normally would because we’re preoccupied.
So, is it OK to eat in bed? We would definitely say that it isn’t a good idea. Head over to the dining table for your meals, and make your bed a sacred space to get your good night’s sleep.
You are one step to better sleep.