Does Eating Chocolate Before Bed Hurt Your Sleep? A Dietitian Reveals All

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Chocolate is a perfect after-dinner snack, so chances are you’re craving it before bed. But while chocolate may be the ultimate comfort food in the evening, will eating it before bed ruin your sleep?

From choosing the best mattress of the year based on your body and sleeping style to drinking chamomile tea, there are plenty of tried and true methods for falling asleep quickly. However, eating chocolate before trying to fall asleep is not recommended.

To learn more, we spoke with Lena Bakovic, a registered dietitian at Top Nutrition Coaching. In this article, Bakovic explains how chocolate affects your sleep, what types of chocolate are best or worst before bed, and how you can enjoy chocolate without it disrupting your sleep pattern.

Does eating chocolate before bed keep you awake?

Chocolate isn’t considered a natural sleep aid like chamomile tea or Sleepy Girl mocktail, but does that mean it’s bad for your sleep? “The short answer is yes,” Bakovic says. “Eating chocolate right before bed can actually contribute to poor sleep quality.”

According to Bakovic, both milk and dark chocolate are dietary sources of caffeine — as well as other heart-rate-increasing stimulants like theobromine — which can lead to a restless night, depending on the type of chocolate and the time of day it’s consumed.

“The caffeine content of chocolate varies, and some people are more sensitive to it than others,” Bakovic says. “However, for most people, eliminating caffeine at least six hours before bedtime is helpful in promoting good sleep habits.”

Is Milk Chocolate Worse for Your Sleep?

Bakovic tells us that both milk chocolate and dark chocolate can have different caffeine content. However, milk chocolate isn’t the worst type of chocolate to eat before bed—good news considering it’s America’s favorite type of chocolate.

However, the dietitian still warns that it should not be consumed less than six hours before bed: “A 28g serving of milk chocolate contains about 8 milligrams of caffeine, so consuming it directly before bed can contribute to poor sleep.”

Does eating dark chocolate help you sleep?

Dark chocolate (America’s second favorite type of chocolate) is actually the most harmful to your sleep. According to Bakovic, this is because levels of caffeine and other stimulants are more pronounced in dark chocolate varieties.

“Dark chocolate generally has moderate caffeine content,” she explains. “In contrast, a 1-ounce serving of milk chocolate has about 8 milligrams of caffeine, while a 1-ounce serving of dark chocolate has about 25 milligrams of caffeine.”

Does eating white chocolate make you sleepy?

It may not be America’s favorite chocolate (only 11 percent of Americans prefer it), but white chocolate is actually the best chocolate to have before bed. “Opt for white chocolate, which is caffeine-free,” Bakovic advises. “Unlike milk and dark chocolate varieties, which are dietary sources of caffeine.”

Can drinking hot chocolate help you fall asleep faster?

If you find a cup of hot chocolate to be a soothing drink before bed, Bakovic says there’s a good reason for that. For one, it’s a great psychological sleep aid, as a hot beverage is often part of a calming pre-bed ritual.

Second, Bakovic says its nutritional content can also promote sleep. “Hot chocolate, when consumed or prepared with milk and cocoa, is a good source of tryptophan,” the dietitian explains. “It stimulates serotonin, which contributes to the production of melatonin, important factors for optimizing sleep quality.”

How to Enjoy Chocolate Without It Affecting Your Sleep

• Consume chocolate about 4-6 hours before bed, which shouldn’t have too much impact on sleep quality. So, if you go to bed at 11pm, try not to eat chocolate after 7pm.

• Avoid eating dark chocolate at night (or eliminate it altogether), as it is the worst type of chocolate for your sleep.

• Opt for white chocolate, which is caffeine-free. If you don’t like the taste of white chocolate, opt for milk chocolate, which has less caffeine than dark chocolate.

• If hot chocolate helps you unwind before bed and is part of your soothing bedtime ritual, you don’t have to give it up. Just make sure it’s made with milk and cocoa (it’s probably best to skip the mini marshmallows, too!).