Studies tend to show that when food is consumed late at night — anywhere from after dinner to outside a person's typical sleep/wake cycle — the body is more likely to store those calories as fat and gain weight rather than burn it as energy, says Kelly Allison of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's ...
You won't gain weight by merely eating later if you eat within your daily calorie needs. Still, studies show that nighttime eaters typically make poorer food choices and eat more calories, which can lead to weight gain.
This can really impact your sleep cycle. At 3am (ish) when you get up, your digestive system is still “sleeping”. Therefore, avoid eating or drinking anything but a small snack and water until the sun comes up at around 7am.
"If you're hungry at night, you should eat something," says Sarah Pflugradt, M.S., RD, a family nutrition expert. "Eating at night will not slow down your metabolism and if you're smart about snacking, you won't gain weight either.
Why do I wake up hungry? If a person wakes up hungry during the night, they may not have eaten enough during the day or changed their routine to get more exercise. Alternately, a person may not be getting enough sleep, or they may have night eating syndrome.
There is no scientific proof that eating bananas at night can be harmful to your health.
Going to bed hungry can be safe as long as you're eating a well-balanced diet throughout the day. Avoiding late-night snacks or meals can actually help avoid weight gain and an increased BMI. If you're so hungry that you can't go to bed, you can eat foods that are easy to digest and promote sleep.
“Snacking late at night will trigger more insulin production and these fluctuations in insulin can result in higher insulin resistance and decreased metabolism,” says Dr Kutteri. Delhi-based nutritionist Nmami Agarwal further explains, “Impaired function of insulin can increase the risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
It's completely normal to wake up hungry. While a grumbling stomach first thing in the morning might not feel so great, you can easily fix it by eating a nourishing breakfast after hopping out of bed. Waking up really hungry doesn't automatically mean that there's something wrong with your dietary lifestyle or health.
So when exactly should you stop eating? 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. Banishing late night snacks after that time could help alleviate the symptoms of acid reflux disease, too.
“The studies suggest that eating out of our normal rhythm, like late at night, may prompt weight gain” and higher levels of blood sugar, which can raise the risk of chronic disease, Allison says.
If you want to maintain or lose weight, then you shouldn't eat after 7 p.m. There are myriad reasons why people might not want to eat after a certain time in the evening, especially if it's close to when they go to sleep, says Cara Harbstreet, M.S., R.D., L.D., owner of Street Smart Nutrition..
Why do so many of us get so fat? the answer appears obvious. “The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight,” the World Health Organization says, “is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended.” Put simply, we either eat too much or are too sedentary, or both.
Weight gain
Going to sleep directly after you eat means your body doesn't get a chance to burn off those calories. In fact, eating a big meal and then hitting the couch can be just as harmful. Eating an early dinner allows your body time to burn off extra calories before you go to sleep.
Your Slow Metabolism:
When you have a slow metabolism, your body doesn't convert food into energy in sufficient quantities. So most of the food you eat is stored in the form of fats. This is the main reason why some people get fat even though they don't eat much.
In fact, Eating dinner later in the evening could contribute to weight gain, and also set you up for potential health impacts like higher risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. 1 Here is what you need to know about how eating late at night impacts your health.
“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.
There's no evidence that a small, healthy snack before bed leads to weight gain. Just keep in mind your total daily calorie intake. Therefore, if you feel that eating something before bed helps you fall asleep or stay asleep, it's OK to do so.
Many people believe that sleeping with wet hair can increase the risk of developing a cold. However, there is no scientific evidence that wet hair directly causes any type of illness, including the common cold.
"Simply put, hair is at its most vulnerable when wet. Sleeping with wet hair can lead to a host of problems for the scalp: unwanted bacteria, fungal infections, skin irritation, itchiness, dryness, redness, and dandruff," says hairstylist Miko Branch, co-founder of hair care brand Miss Jessie's Original.
It's not recommended to sleep after eating because you will likely experience digestive issues like indigestion, heartburn, and acid reflux that disrupt your sleep.