Should You Eat Right Before Bedtime? Know The Right Time To Eat and Sleep

There’s nothing like enjoying a big, homemade meal, having chips and chows late-night, or digging into a warm cookie before bed after a long day. Most of us have late dinners after a busy day, while other people simply love to grab a snack or two while watching their favorite movie right before going to bed. The question is: Is it good for us to eat so late in the night and how long should we wait between eating and going to sleep?

Nutritionists and sleep specialists all have different answers to those concerns and many of them disagree about whether you should eat before bed. Proponents argue that a large supper can aid in falling asleep—and staying asleep. Many critics on the other hand, argue that eating close to sleep might lead to weight gain, heart disease, or excessive blood sugar levels.

Mind Your Foods for a Good Sleep

Certain meals, such as turkey and pork chops, include chemicals that may help you fall asleep faster. Warm milk is very soothing and may help you relax and psychologically prepare for sleep.

These may increase the production of serotonin and melatonin in your body. Serotonin is a biological precursor of melatonin, the key hormone involved in sleep, and it helps to induce sleep. Melatonin is produced by your body using serotonin from your pineal gland.

Other hot meals, as well as those high in sugar, might keep you awake and disrupt your sleep.

Alcohol may make you drowsy at first, but its effects will wear off soon, resulting in a fragmented and troubled sleep. It can also induce obstructive sleep apnea.

The Drawbacks of Eating Before Bedtime

It’s a common knowledge that eating before bed is harmful. It’s something we’ve heard from fitness coaches, dietitians, and older family members. But why is that?

At Night, Your Body Begins to Slow Down

In general experts say that while you sleep, your metabolism slows down, resulting in less calories being expended. Carbohydrates are a case in point. Your body doesn’t burn carbohydrates as efficiently when you’re sleeping as it does while you’re awake. Even while pasta and pizza are delicious, they are usually not the ideal foods to consume late at night.

Heartburn and Indigestion

You may get indigestion or heartburn, even if you are accustomed to eating a large meal before night. It may happen that you don’t have indigestion throughout the day, if you eat a lot (particularly spicy meals). But if you go to bed almost afterwards a spicy meal, laying down might produce acid reflux—that uncomfortable heartburn that makes swallowing difficult, and occasionally, nocturnal asthma. Experts advocate spacing your meals and eating before sleep to give your body enough time to digest your food before you slip under the covers. If you have been diagnosed with gastro-esophageal reflux disease, you should reassess your bedtime snack.

Dinner Plate Sizes may be the Culprit

Many individuals become accustomed to eating a heavy meal in the evening since it is the time of day when they are most hungry. This might set off a cycle of night-time eating and overeating. You won’t be as hungry for morning if you’re filled when you go to bed. Breakfast will be smaller, and lunch will be smaller. You’ll be ravenous by dinner time, and you’ll consume more calories than you should. After supper, you might desire another small meal or snack. Your body will have more time to absorb and metabolize calories if you teach it to ingest the most calories earlier in the day. Plus, you’ll be less hungry when it’s time for supper.

Unhealthy Decisions

Another disadvantage of late-night meals or snacks is your wrong choice. As a late-night snack, many individuals seek for particular items, such as a slice of pizza or cookies, rather than healthier options. Not to mention that a popular night-time snacking activity is sitting in front of the TV. If you’re reaching out to a bag of chips repeatedly while binge-watching your favorite show, you’re more likely to overeat. This can tip your daily calorie consumption too; not to mention have a negative impact on your health.

Will Eating Late at Night Make You Gain Weight?

It’s said by experts that late-night snacking or eating late in the evening leads to weight growth. If you consume more calories in the evening than you did throughout the day, this will occur. Again, if you eat too much and consume too many calories before going to bed, you will gain weight.

How Long Should You Wait to Sleep After Eating?

The only question now is how long should you wait to sleep after eating, since that you know how eating before night might damage your digestive system and your health.

Dietitians recommend that you eat your final large meal of the day at least 2 to 3 hours before going to bed. This will give your body enough time to digest food and you won’t have troubles lying down with a huge meal in your stomach.

Go to bed at least two to three hours after you’ve eaten, according to experts. This gives your body enough time to digest your food so you don’t have an upset stomach, indigestion, or acid reflux at night. It also aids in your sleep.

A Word of Caution

This guideline does not require you to skip a meal. You shouldn’t miss supper since you won’t have three hours between eating and. The three-hour rule is only a suggestion to follow when you have the time.

However, you may have to stay awake until late at night due to shifting duty or other office/house work. If it’s been 4 to 5 hours since your previous meal, you can take a little snack before going to bed.

In this scenario, light foods and snacks such as a piece of fruit, crackers, or whole-grain cereal can be consumed. These meals are easy to digest and include healthy protein and carbohydrate sources.

Tips for Night-time Snacking

Make Healthy Choices

• Avoid sweets and junk food if you’re planning to have a night snack or a late meal before bed
• Avoid high-calorie items, especially those heavy in sugar and harmful fats. It happens from time to time, but it’s not a healthy habit to develop.
• Complex carbohydrates, such as healthy grains, fruits, and vegetables, as well as a protein or a small bit of fat, are ideal midnight snacks. This snack will offer you a boost of energy before bedtime, keep you full all night, and keep your blood sugar constant.
• Make sure you don’t go to bed hungry.

The Last Words

It’s best to eat your last meal of the day three hours before night to give your stomach enough time to start digesting. However, this isn’t a hard and fast rule. Be open-minded and experiment to find what works best for you.

So, should you eat before going to bed? No, that is not the case. Eating a heavy dinner or calorie-dense food soon before bedtime can be unhealthy and damaging to your health. It may wreak havoc on your digestive system, causing a slew of issues and even serious digestive disorders. You should wait at least 2 to 3 hours after eating before going to bed, and if you must eat anything, avoid high-calorie meals.

This way, you’ll get a better night’s sleep and won’t gain weight from late-night munching.