because your metabolism slows down when you fall asleep. This causes any undigested calories to be stored as fat. Yet many health experts say that eating before bed is perfectly fine and may even improve sleep or weight loss.
Eating before bed gives you more fuel to burn and decreases the length of time your body resorts to using fat to fuel itself. But can an hour or two of fat burning make a difference on the scale? Probably not, says Ormsbee. “The overwhelming science would say that calorie intake is the only thing that matters,” he explains to Men’s Health.
Bottom Line: In most cases, eating before bed only causes weight gain because of habits such as eating while watching TV or eating too many extra calories before bed. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common condition that affects as much as 20–48% of Western populations. It happens when stomach acid splashes back into your throat ( 8 ).
While eating before bed is not necessarily a bad thing, loading up on traditional dessert foods or junk foods such as ice cream, pie or chips isn’t a good idea. These foods, which are high in unhealthy fats and added sugars, trigger cravings and overeating. They make it very easy to exceed your daily calorie needs.
Avoid Desserts and Junk Foods. Eating before bed doesn’t necessarily make you gain weight, but filling up on these calorie-dense foods before bed certainly can, and you should really avoid them. If you have a sweet tooth, try some berries or a few squares of dark chocolate (unless the caffeine bothers you).
Why do people eat before bed?
It turns out that people who eat before bed are more likely to gain weight simply because a bedtime snack is an extra meal and, therefore, extra calories. Not only that, but the evening is the time of day when some tend to feel the hungriest.
If you’re someone who tends to eat a big portion of your calories after dinner, having a structured snack after dinner instead of continually “grazing” can help to manage your appetite and may prevent overeating ( 12 , 13 ).
In the morning, your liver starts to produce extra glucose (blood sugar), which provides you with the energy you need to start the day. This process causes scarcely any change in blood sugar for people without diabetes.
In the morning, your liver starts to produce extra glucose (blood sugar), which provides you with the energy you need to start the day.
There’s also limited evidence supporting the idea that calories count more before bedtime than they do at any other time of the day ( 2 ).
There are those who like to snack at night while watching TV or working on their laptops, and it’s no surprise that these habits might lead to weight gain.
While eating before bed isn’t necessarily a bad thing , loading up on traditional dessert foods or junk foods such as ice cream, pie, or chips isn’t a good idea.
How long can you go without eating?
Ideally, you want to encourage stable blood sugar levels for optimal health, which will be tough to do if you’re going 10 or 12 or 14 hours without eating, Maxson says. (This is one reason she and many other nutrition experts underscore the importance of eating breakfast.)
Instead, you should be reaching for complex carbohydrates like whole wheat bread, non-starchy vegetables, popcorn, and fruit, Maxson says. These foods break down slowly, and so help stave off the blood sugar spikes or crashes that could mess with your sleep or appetite, she explains.
Not only can the right bedtime snack provide the fuel your body needs to burn calories while you sleep, but a little grub also calms the release of hunger hormones that tell your body to store fat, Bjork explains. That said, a pint of ice cream isn’t going to do you any favors.
E specially if you tend to eat dinner a few hours before bedtime or you’re very active (or both), snacking before bed will help stabilize your blood sugar levels during the long, meal-less night, explains Stephanie Maxson, senior clinical dietician at the University of Texas’s MD Anderson Cancer Center.
What should I avoid before bed?
According to Rhone, it’s best to avoid the following foods if you’re going to eat before bed: Sugary foods. Spicy foods. Acidic foods. High-fat foods. Anything with caffeine. Torti agrees it’s best to stay away from foods high in sugar or anything too heavy before bed.
If you always feel like you need to snack at night, Torti suggests you may need to regulate your sugar metabolism, manage your stress levels, or address underlying nutritional insufficiencies.
When you’re hungry, eat! We’re big advocates of listening to your body. If your stomach is growling or you’re lying in bed hungry, your body is trying to tell you something. Before you take this as a sign to speed dial Postmates, consider reaching for foods that will leave you feeling good as you drift off to sleep.
A Small Protein-Rich Snack May Increase Protein Synthesis: Research suggests that a small protein-rich snack or drink before bed may increase protein synthesis, which is a super important part of supporting muscle repair after all of our workouts.
Not necessarily. While there is a belief that eating before bed leads to weight gain, research supports both sides. “Nighttime eating is a controversial topic, for sure,” says Nathalie Rhone, Registered Dietitian, Functional Medicine Nutritionist, and founder of Nutrition by Nathalie LLC, a private nutrition practice focusing on health …
Eating before bed isn’t all bad , and even has some benefits, such as: A Protein-Rich Snack Before Bed Could Help You Sleep Better: If you have trouble sleeping through the night, Torti recommends a protein-rich snack.
Why do we eat before bed?
Eating before bed gives you more fuel to burn and decreases the length of time your body resorts to using fat to fuel itself.
In other words, you burn fewer calories when it’s dark compared to daylight hours. But there is one that that increases when you sleep: fat burning.
That said, eating before bed is linked metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors including high blood pressure and belly fat, that increase your chances of developing heart disease or type 2 diabetes .
Certain foods and drinks, like caffeine or alcohol, notoriously make it hard to sleep. But many common dinner favorites, like lasagna, spicy tacos, or chocolate ice cream, can trigger acid reflux in people who are prone to the condition.
Experts agree eating earlier in the evening better supports our circadian rhythms. But there’s little consensus about whether late night meals lead to weight gain. Every biological process, including eating and sleeping, is controlled by your body’s circadian rhythms.
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