Whether you should eat before bed — defined as between dinner and bedtime — has become a hot topic in nutrition.
Although many people believe that a slower metabolism during sleep leads to weight gain, your nighttime basal metabolic rate is almost as high as during the day. Your body still needs plenty of energy while you sleep.
The current evidence shows no definitive physiological reason why eating before bed should cause weight gain. However, several studies show that people who eat before bed are more likely to gain weight.
The reason for this is much simpler than you might expect. 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. Sleep restriction promotes weight gain in some people. According to a study, chronically sleep-restricted adults with late bedtimes may be more susceptible to weight gain due to greater daily caloric intake and the consumption of calories during late-night hours.
The evening is the time of day when some tend to feel the hungriest. Why?
Research has found that those who experience stress tend to see a rise in ghrelin — the hunger hormone — in the evening. This makes it even more likely that a bedtime snack will end up pushing your calorie intake over your daily calorie needs.
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 can lead to weight gain.
Also, some people are left starving before bed because they don’t eat enough during the day.
This extreme hunger can cause a cycle of eating too much before bed, then being too full to eat much the next morning, and again becoming overly hungry before bed the following evening.
This cycle can easily lead to overeating and weight gain, highlighting why many individuals should eat balanced meals during the day.
It would seem that the problem with eating at night isn’t explicitly linked to your metabolism switching to storing calories as fat at night. Instead, weight gain can be caused by bedtime snacking, which increases your caloric intake.
Positive Aspects of Eating Before Bed
Pros to eating before bed include weight loss, sleeping better, and maintaining blood sugar levels.
Weight Loss
Even in sleep, your body needs energy to function, as it’s recovering from the previous day. When you go to bed hungry, your body lacks the calories it needs to recharge; this results in your body holding onto carbs and fats instead of using them as fuel. Go by the phrase “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper”
Choose sleep-inducing snacks that are high in tryptophan and melatonin to satiate hunger pangs and give your body the energy it needs to recover at night.
Tryptophan
Tryptophan is an amino acid that increases serotonin and melatonin levels in the body. We can’t produce tryptophan naturally—instead, we consume foods that contain tryptophan to induce sleep. Tryptophan-rich foods include milk, cheese, eggs, nuts, fish, and beans.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone that regulates sleep by influencing the body’s sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin production relies on the body’s exposure to lightless light produces more melatonin. Good sources of melatonin include cherries, walnuts, bananas, oats, and tomatoes.
Better Sleep
A full stomach makes a person feel sleepy, but foods with nutritional value can make all the difference between a good night’s sleep and indigestion. Healthy snacks like apples and peanut butter or avocado toast contain excellent nutrients. Avoid foods that are high in fat & sugary junk food like chips, pizza, cookies, and ice cream. Foods containing caffeine like chocolate and coffee can cause you to wake up several times in the middle of the night, so try to avoid them.
Regulating Blood Sugar level
Foods like fruits, nuts, oatmeal, and whole wheat bread regulate blood sugar levels. Low levels result in less energy and feeling groggy the next morning. High levels cause boosts of energy, increasing sleep disruptions.
Healthy Bedtime Snacks
Have a bedtime snack containing complex carbs and small amounts of high protein—fruits, veggies, and other nighttime snacks include:
- Cheese and crackers
- Apples and peanut butter
- Low-sugar cereal with low-fat milk
- Avocado toast
Summary
You may want to plan your dinnertime to allow about three hours between your last meal and bedtime to support a better night’s sleep.
A small evening snack shouldn’t be an issue but avoid caffeine and spicy and acidic foods that can contribute to reflux and heartburn.
Alcohol can also interfere with sleep even though it may make you sleepy initially.
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