"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.
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.
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.
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.
Eating an excess amount of sugar or carbohydrates, while simultaneously lacking in fiber, protein, and healthy fats during the day can lead to a blood sugar crash that causes hunger late at night. Avoid simple carbohydrates such as sugar and white flour which are quickly converted to sugar in the body.
“For optimal sleep it's best not to go to bed too hungry or too full,” says Lisa Moskovitz, R.D. On one hand, falling asleep when all you can think about is the pit in your stomach is difficult AF. But eating too late can wreak havoc on your bod.
It depends on what you eat. Planned healthy snacks that contain protein and fiber can actually be beneficial, but late-night binges won't do your body any good. As long as you don't eat too many calories and stick to healthy eating habits, it's generally okay to eat whenever you want.
You might feel fine after skipping dinner, but when you finally fall asleep, hunger pangs keep the brain mentally alert, causing you to not get enough deep sleep at night, according to registered dietitian Wesley Delbridge, spokesperson for the Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics.
Eat late, gain weight? This myth has been around for years, and although some people could swear that their late-night eating habits do make them gain weight, recent research has shown that your body doesn't process food differently at different times of the day.
But let's say you eat at 3 a.m. You get out of bed, you're supposed to be asleep, you eat those cupcakes or ice cream. So what happens is the fats hang around longer in your blood than they're supposed to — and that cannot be good for your heart, your kidneys and your other organs.
How Late Is Too Late to Eat? There's no be-all and end-all on what time you should close the kitchen. Some researchers define "eating late" as eating your last meal less than two hours before bedtime, while other research suggests cutting yourself off by 6 p.m. delivers the greatest health benefits.
As a guideline, you should stop eating two to three hours before bed. This will give your body enough time to digest your food, lowering your chances of acid reflux and digestive issues keeping you up.
It can help with weight loss
Fasting one or two days a week may be a way for you to consume fewer calories over time. You may find this easier to do than cutting back a certain number of calories every day. The energy restriction from a 24-hour fast may also benefit your metabolism, helping in weight loss.
No matter which route you take, popcorn is one of the best late-night snacks there is. It satisfies salty or sweet cravings, depending on what you mix it with, and it'll keep you full 'til breakfast.
Some people skip meals when they're trying to lose weight, which is often counterproductive, as waiting too long between meals may lead to overeating. As such, it's important to eat when you're hungry — not wait until you're ravenous.
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.
As a guide, stop eating two to three hours before bed to avoid weight gain. Finishing meals earlier than this may help boost weight loss. Losing weight is hard. You need to think about working out, eating the right things, and getting enough sleep.