No, you shouldn't eat before bed, says Supan, and one reason is because of the way your body functions. “When you eat late at night, you're going against your body's circadian rhythm,” she says. It's all about the way your body adjusts its insulin sensitivity. Your body is more sensitive in the morning on purpose.
If you're still waking up ravenous in the middle of the night, try eating a light snack an hour or two before you hit the hay. Rumsey recommends pairing a protein with a carbohydrate: snacks like yogurt and granola, cereal and milk or cheese and crackers. Larger meals could disturb your sleep, Knutson noted.
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.
“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.
Don't Go to Bed Hungry
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.
As per studies, you should eat an apple in the morning hours. This is because apples are rich in dietary fiber, pectin, which is found in its peel. Since most people have digestive issues due to improper sleep or late eating habits, apples right in the morning, after waking up is a good idea.
According to Lauren Popeck, RD, a dietitian at Orlando Health, Greek yogurt is perfect for bedtime, because it contains the sleep-inducing chemical tryptophan. And because it's such a rich source of protein, Greek yogurt can also help you avoid that same glucose spike.
Daily rhythm helps our subconscious know when its time to slow down and get some sleep. Chaotic hours are likely to lead to sleep issues. The best hours for regenerative sleep for most people are between 10pm and 2am, so getting to bed before 10 can make a difference, although this varies between individuals.
Bedtime hunger may be an indication that you're not eating enough during the day. As a result, your body may be trying to compensate right before bed by taking in extra energy to make up for what it missed earlier.
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.
If sneaking a piece of cake from the fridge at midnight seems somehow better than doing so in the evening, that's because certain areas of your brain are more receptive to food at night, according to a new study on women at Brigham Young University.
Dates and fruits
If you are looking for an instant energy boost, you can have two dates with water, says Bharadwaj. Fruits like banana, apple and papaya are good to consume in morning empty stomach for vitamins and fibre as per the dietician.
Cherries are known for being one of the best foods for sleep as they naturally contain melatonin. Snacking on cherries or drinking cherry juice can help promote longer, deeper sleep.
This is a common myth, but it is indeed a myth. Setting a specific time to stop eating by really doesn't make sense, as we all have different schedules. Our bodies do best if we eat often during the day (ideally every 2-4 hours).
Sleep interruptions
Not eating enough may cause you to frequently wake in the night and have difficulty going back to sleep. You might actually be physically hungry, which causes you to wake up as your body attempts to get the calories and nutrients it needs.
The urge for midnight snacking or sudden food cravings often happen when you have an early dinner and sleep late. Your body suddenly feels depleted and gives you hunger pangs making you binge in the middle of the night.