Why does eating before bed

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Whether you typically eat your last meal a few hours after work or regularly find yourself heading to the fridge for a midnight snack , most people find themselves eating before bed on occasion.

However, those late-night snacks may lead to more than just a full belly over time. A significant body of research suggests that eating before bed can have numerous side effects on everything from your weight to your performance at work. Before you start raiding the pantry again, read on to discover the side effects of eating before bed, according to science.

If you're eager to lose weight and shed excess body fat , you may want to start by ditching those snacks before bed. The leftovers, or waste, are delivered to the colon. Thankfully, this process is automatic, says Gastroenterologist Dr. Rest easy: that bedtime burger won't get held up if you pass out after the last bite. However, muscle contractions and stomach motility may slow when you're sleeping, so a heavy meal could leave you feeling queasy.

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. Sleeping in an elevated position with the help of pillows may alleviate the problem, since it helps prevent acid from traveling up the esophagus, says Poppers.

That said, you shouldn't avoid eating if you're hungry, since a rumbling stomach can also keep you awake. Generally, experts suggest waiting two hours after a meal to sleep. In fact, eating a light, protein-dense snack may be helpful, says Michael Ormsbee, PhD and associate professor of nutrition, food, and exercise science at Florida State University.

People who ate 30 grams of protein roughly 30 minutes before bed boosted their metabolism and were less hungry the next morning, according to a study conducted by Ormsbee and published in the British Journal of Nutrition. He recommends sticking to a calorie, protein-rich food like cottage cheese.

Every biological process, including eating and sleeping, is controlled by your body's circadian rhythms. This internal clock is regulated by the environment, meaning you're more alert during the day because your body slows at night in anticipation of sleep. Your heart rate goes way down. However, several studies show that people who eat before bed are more likely to gain weight 3 , 4 , 5. 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. Research has also 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 6 , 7 , 8. 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 next evening 9.

This cycle, which can easily lead to overeating and weight gain, highlights why many individuals should eat balanced meals during the day. Instead, weight gain can be caused by bedtime snacking, which increases your caloric intake. Eating before bed can cause weight gain because of habits like eating while watching TV or consuming too many extra calories before bed. Gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD is a common condition that affects It happens when gastric contents such as stomach acid splash back into your throat If you have any of these symptoms, you may want to avoid eating before bed because lying down makes it much easier to regurgitate Additionally, you might want to avoid drinking or eating anything containing caffeine, alcohol, tea, chocolate, or hot spices.

All of these foods can aggravate symptoms. People who have acid reflux should not eat anything for at least 3 hours before bedtime. They may also want to avoid trigger foods, which can cause symptoms to worsen. While eating before bed may not be the best idea for some people, it can benefit others — it may actually curb nighttime eating and aid weight loss. Some evidence suggests that, rather than causing weight gain, eating a bedtime snack may help some people lose weight.

In one 4-week study of adults who were night-snackers, participants who began eating one bowl of cereal and milk 90 minutes after dinner ate an average of fewer calories per day Ultimately, participants lost an average of 1. This study suggests that adding a small after-dinner snack may help night-snackers feel satisfied enough to eat less than they would otherwise. Over time, it may also have the possible benefit of weight loss.

Getting enough sleep is very important, and sleep deprivation has been linked to overeating and weight gain 5 , 14 , Just keep in mind your total daily calorie intake. In the morning, your liver starts to produce extra glucose blood sugar , which provides you with the energy you need to start the day.