Health experts advise against eating a full or heavy meal near bedtime. Consuming a large meal so close to sleeping can affect digestion and sleep quality. Over time, consuming most of a person's daily food intake late in the day can also lead to obesity.
Indigestion and Heartburn
Even if you don't deal with indigestion during the day normally, if you eat a lot (especially spicy foods) and then immediately get in bed, laying down could cause acid reflux--you know, that annoying heartburn that gives you trouble swallowing, and sometimes, even nighttime asthma.
What happens if you sleep after eating? If you sleep directly after eating, you'll probably encounter indigestion, heartburn, and other digestive problems that disrupt nighttime sleep. You also increase your risk of unhealthy weight gain, obesity, and poor health over time.
A gastroenterologist discusses a recent study that found eating late-night meals may increase your risk of obesity. Before making an evening dinner reservation or heading to the fridge for a midnight snack, you might want to consider the impact that eating late at night may have on your body.
Aside from causing belly fat, eating late and reclining on a full stomach increases your risk of developing acid reflux and indigestion, since gravity is no longer able to pull everything in your tummy straight down.
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.
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.
Hair is at its most fragile when wet, so if you go to bed with it damp and proceed to toss and turn against a pillow, you run a higher risk of breakage. But aside from being rough on your delicate strands, hitting the pillow with damp hair puts you at risk of developing skin infections, primarily on your scalp.
Lying down after having a meal can slow down the process of digestion. It may also make you feel bloated and can lead to heartburn. Wait for at least 2 hours before going to the bed.
“On a day you don't eat for 24 hours, you're guaranteed to be losing a third or half a pound of non-water weight that's mostly from body fat,” Pilon told Global News.
Foods that are loaded with low-calorie vegetables and fruits can be included in a 500-calorie diet. You can make vegetable soup, vegetable salad, fruit salad with low-fat yogurt, or a portion of grilled chicken or fish with grilled veggies for lunch or dinner to satisfy your hunger pangs.
However, calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 a day in women or 1,500 a day in men, except under the supervision of a health professional. Eating too few calories can endanger your health by depriving you of needed nutrients.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025, the average adult woman expends roughly 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day, while the average adult man expends 2,000 to 3,000.
There's no set time you should stop eating to lose belly fat, but, as a guideline, you should avoid eating two to three hours before bed to stop it from disrupting your sleep and body clocks, which can cause belly fat gain. Studies show early dinners can help people lose weight.