“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.
If you're so hungry that you can't go to bed, you can eat foods that are easy to digest and promote sleep. Stay away from large meals and spicy, sweet, or greasy foods before bedtime. Hunger at bedtime associated with malnutrition or overtiredness is problematic and should be addressed.
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.
Overall: It's better to be satisfied than hungry before bed
Not only will hunger pangs prevent you from getting a full night's rest—which can lead to weight gain—but a small snack before bed can actually help boost weight-loss efforts.
Even worse, sleeping on an empty stomach could lead to a big food binge in the a.m., peaking your blood sugar to unhealthy levels and throwing your metabolism for a loop for the rest of the day.
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 ...
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.
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.
What should I eat if I am still hungry after dinner?
If you don't find yourself feeling full during or immediately after a meal, try incorporating more foods that are high in volume but low in calories ( 10 , 11 ). These foods, such as most fresh vegetables, fruits, air-popped popcorn, shrimp, chicken breast, and turkey, tend to have greater air or water content.
There are two primary hormones involved in hunger signals: ghrelin and leptin. When you haven't eaten for some time, the stomach (and other parts of the digestive tract, to a lesser degree) produces ghrelin, which increases appetite, gastric motility, and gastric acid secretion.
Low blood sugar causes people to feel irritable, confused and fatigued. The body begins to increase production of cortisol, leaving us stressed and hangry. Skipping meals can also cause your metabolism to slow down, which can cause weight gain or make it harder to lose weight.
6 bedtime drinks that can boost weight loss overnight
Greek yogurt protein shake. As noted above, having protein before bed—especially if you've worked out beforehand—helps stimulate the repair and rebuilding of muscle (muscle protein synthesis) while you sleep. ...
The bottom line. Eating bananas before bed may help you get a good night's sleep. Bananas are rich in magnesium, potassium, tryptophan, vitamin B6, carbs, and fiber, all of which may improve sleep quality via different mechanisms.
