Chocolate High levels of caffeine in chocolate make it a poor choice for late-night snacking. During the latter stages of sleep, caffeine consumption can cause rapid eye movement (REM) to occur more frequently, which is why you're more likely to feel groggy the morning after the night before.
You should try to not eat any chocolate after around 4 or 5 pm to give your body time to metabolize its caffeine. Generally, it's also a good idea to stop eating at least 2 hours before turning in for the night to give your food time to digest.
Scientists also recommend the best time to eat chocolate is earlier in the day (between 9am -11am), making chocolate a great choice for an elevenses pick-me-up, as your palate has not been tainted by other flavours from lunch – something only one in five (20%) of Brits already do.
A small study found that eating 100 grams of milk chocolate, either within 1 hour of waking or within 1 hour of going to bed, may actually aid fat burning and reduce blood sugar. Researchers also found that the chocolate helps regulate sleep and suppresses appetite.
Chocolate is derived from the roasted seeds of the plant Theobroma cacao, and the main toxic components are the methylxanthine alkaloids theobromine and caffeine. Humans can easily digest and excrete methylxanthines, the half life of theobromine being 2-3 hours.
Chocolate contains caffeine, which makes it hard to fall asleep and keeps you from getting to the deep sleep stages you need to feel rested, according to Stokes.
Morning or night-time chocolate intake did not lead to weight gain; 2. Eating chocolate in the morning or in the evening can influence hunger and appetite, microbiota composition, sleep and more; 3.
Though going to bed hungry can help with sleep and weight loss, lack of access to food can actually increase your risk of obesity, asthma, and other health problems.
Snack on a handful of nuts, top some whole-grain toast with creamy homemade almond butter, or whip up a sweet and simple trail mix by combining 2 cups of mixed nuts, ½ cup of pumpkin seeds, ½ cup of sunflower seeds, and 1 cup of unsweetened dried fruit to keep on hand for late-night noshes.
Tryptophan helps improve sleep by helping make melatonin and serotonin. Pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds also contain tryptophan. Sprinkling pumpkin seeds on your oats or yogurt give an added crunchy texture. Cashews and walnuts are also considered good nut options for sleep.
“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's best to stop eating about three hours before going to bed. That allows plenty of time for your body to digest the last food you ate so it won't disrupt your sleep, but leaves a small enough window before sleep that you won't go to bed feeling hungry.
There's no such thing as a set time you should eat dinner.
Someone who wakes up at 5am could be having dinner at 5pm, while someone who goes to sleep at 1am could be having dinner at 10pm–none of it is inherently wrong or unhealthy, according to Farah Fahad, registered dietitian and founder of The Farah Effect.
There's nothing wrong with wearing a bra while you sleep if that's what you're comfortable with. Sleeping in a bra will not make a girl's breasts perkier or prevent them from getting saggy. And it will not stop breasts from growing or cause breast cancer.
Waking up hungry likely isn't a cause for concern, but you'll need to make sure any late-night eating isn't making you gain too much weight. Eat a healthy dinner and don't go to bed hungry. A high-protein snack or a warm glass of milk can keep your blood sugar levels steady through the night.
Fall Asleep Faster and Sleep Better
Some experts correlate eating at night with better sleep. They argue that if you nosh on something before you go to sleep, your stomach feels full and you may fall asleep faster and sleep longer. Plus, you won't wake up hungry in the middle of the night.