While we encourage you to avoid late-night snacking, we also discourage you from going to bed while hungry. Your body constantly needs energy to function, even during sleep. Going to bed without a last meal means your body has less energy to rejuvenate and repair itself.
Going to bed hungry doesn't just mean less sleep — it may also be bad news for those trying to build muscle. If deprived of nutrients for long enough, your body can start to break down muscle for energy (also called a catabolic state).
"When it comes to weight loss, going to bed a little bit hungry can help because it keeps hormones like insulin low, and that can help facilitate weight loss," Davis says. But she reiterates that having a big dinner right before bed has the opposite effect.
“If you are hungry, you should eat something, regardless of the time of day,” says Aimee Takamura, registered dietitian and director of wellness and sustainability at Restaurant Associates. “The act of eating late at night does not affect metabolism or lead to many of the adverse effects you may have heard of.
It is recommended that you stop eating about three hours before you plan to go to bed. This will give your body enough time to properly digest the food you have eaten without disrupting your sleep, but also allowing time to notice any symptoms of acid reflux or any other digestion related irritation.
So when exactly should you stop eating at night? Scientists can't agree on a single set time, but the consensus seems to be within three hours before bedtime. So if you go to bed at 11 p.m., don't eat after 8 p.m.
How does sleeping position affect belly fat loss? Some notes on sleeping positions that can help improve belly fat are as follows: Do not sleep on your stomach: Because this is a position that can cause breathing disturbances, slow down the digestion of food. , accumulate fat and strain the lower back muscles.
Overeating before the bedtime increases the risk of indigestion and heartburn, resulting in restlessness and sleeplessness. Eating late also sends a message to the brain to keep active that further prevents the body from powering down.
Therefore, even if don't feed your tummy it won't just shrink down. In fact, the repercussions of hunger might result in drastic weight gain. Your metabolism will eventually become slower which in turn will make future weight loss difficult.
Most people are brought up thinking that dinner should be the biggest meal of the day, meaning they opt for a light breakfast and lunch. However, research has found that a smaller dinner and larger lunch could be the key to helping you shift those weight.
Most doctors advised that 10 pm is the best time to go the bed if you want to lose weight.
Drink a casein shake
This means your metabolism will be kept active throughout the night, and you'll wake up feeling energetic instead of starving. Casein's fat burning credentials were confirmed in a Dutch study, which discovered a boost in overnight metabolic rate following consumption of the protein.
Specifically, sleeping on the side or back is considered more beneficial than sleeping on the stomach. In either of these sleep positions, it's easier to keep your spine supported and balanced, which relieves pressure on the spinal tissues and enables your muscles to relax and recover.
Sit Up Straight
Plus, sitting up straight with your shoulder back and your abs tight—compared to slouching at your desk—requires engaging more muscles and can burn a few more calories.