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Eating Before Bed: All Your Questions Answered!

Eating Before Bed: All Your Questions Answered!

Jan 27, 2021

Have you ever gone to bed hungry, promising yourself that you’ll wait until breakfast to eat but your tummy rumbles just won't let you sleep? This happens to all of us, especially when trying to lose weight or have just started a new healthy eating program. Eating at night could be beneficial to your health or cause a disturbance in your circadian rhythm. To find the right balance for your system, it’s essential to know what is healthy to snack on before bed and what to avoid. Let’s learn how to do nighttime snacking right.

Eating Before Bed and Digestion

Snacking before bed is best done at least 30 minutes before you lay down to sleep. This allows your digestion plenty of time to work. If you eat and then go directly to bed, your esophagus has to work a little harder. Your lower esophageal sphincter could remain open, causing acid reflux or heartburn. You may become nauseous if you eat something unfamiliar before bed, eat too fast, or eat spicy food.

Eating Before Bed and Quality of Sleep

Ever heard the old saying "don’t eat cheese before bed or you’ll have nightmares?" Your digestion is a delicate process that requires energy. When you lay down to sleep, you’re sending signals to your body that it’s time to shut down for the night. Snacking before bed results in slower digestion time and might keep you awake. Your quality of sleep is determined by many factors including your diet, anxiety levels, and exercise regimen.

Eating Before Bed: Weight Gain and Weight Loss

There are few studies on eating at night and weight gain. However, if you’re eating your regular daily meals and snacks with additional snacking before bed, this could lead to taking in slightly more of your daily calorie load. Conversely, if you don't eat much in the evenings, you could run a calorie deficit resulting in weight loss. Regardless of your lifestyle, eating habits, and sleep schedule, it’s best to allow your body plenty of time to digest your food.

Can Eating Before Bed Make Me Gain Weight?

If eating complex carbs, junk foods, and ice cream before bed every night. Chances are you may disturb your sleep and could put on a little extra weight. Your heart rate and cortisol levels go down when you lay down to sleep, which could interrupt your digestion process. Stick to eating a healthy snack before bed such as a small banana or small bowl of oatmeal.

Eating Before Bed: Is it Bad for Your Heart?

Research suggests that it's not just what you eat but when you eat that affects your heart health. Studies suggest that eating high-caloric meals later in the evening can increase the risks of heart disease, including high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

Does Eating Before Bed Increase Heart Rate?

Why does meal timing matter? For one, eating later in the day doesn't give you the opportunity to burn off extra calories. It also isn't ideal for maintaining a robust circadian rhythm, a key contributor to overall health, including heart health. Eating elevates your heart rate—the opposite of what you want right before bed. To support your circadian rhythm, you want to foster a lower heart rate and temperature leading up to bedtime.

Studies suggest that eating high-caloric meals later in the evening can increase the risks of heart disease

Pros and Cons of Eating Before Bed

Pros

A healthy snack before bed can help you sleep
The tummy rumbles of going to bed on an empty stomach could cause insomnia

Cons

Eating a large meal before bed could make it hard to fall asleep fast
Eating large meals before bed leads to weight gain in some people
Your metabolism slows down at night so calories are burned more slowly than during the day
May experience acid reflux or heartburn after eating at night

Should I Go to Bed Hungry?

You should never go to bed hungry. A healthy snack at night, such as a banana, oatmeal, avocado, or small a glass of milk before bed should be easily digestible and not interrupt your sleep or cause problems with your blood sugar. In fact, a little snack before bed can comfort you and help you fall asleep fast.

What Can I Eat Before Bed?

If you eat a snack in the evening, choose something simple and healthy that will tide you over until bed time. For example:

Walnuts
Almonds or almond milk
A small serving of turkey
Banana
Oatmeal
Avocado
A boiled egg

When Is the Best Time to Eat?

Breakfast

Eat a nutritious breakfast within one hour of waking.

Lunch

Eat lunch 4 to 5 hours after breakfast.

Dinner

Aim to eat dinner at least 3 to 4 hours before bed.

Snacks

Snacks can be enjoyed between meals but keep them low sugar and low carb so as not to spoil your appetite for your main meals.

When Is the Best Time to Drink Water?

The best time to drink water is to sip it throughout the day to stay hydrated. If you drink water right before bed, it may wake you up in the middle of the night to pee.

When Is the Best Time to Exercise?

Exercising at 6-7 am is recommended to help you sleep at night. Also, exercising on an empty stomach is said to burn more fat. However, whatever time of day you choose, as long as you have the energy and motivation for exercise, is what counts. Just don’t go running before bed or you may experience insomnia. You need some cool-down time to get your heart rate back to normal.

Does My Diet Affect My Quality of Sleep?

Your diet directly affects sleep. If you’re indulging in complex carbs, junk foods, and snacking before bed, you could be at risk of developing insomnia or a sleep disorder. Your body needs time to digest food. When you sleep, your body slows down its processes, including digestion. If your body is constantly struggling to balance your circadian rhythm, your quality of sleep could be disturbed. Eat as healthy as you can, lots of leafy greens, protein, water, nuts, and seeds. Exercise in the morning if possible so you can sleep better at night.

Conclusion

Eating before going to bed every now and then is not detrimental to your health. Going to bed on an empty stomach is not beneficial either. Aim to eat a healthy snack if you’re peckish before bed to help you stay asleep (rather than staying awake listening to your tummy rumble). Avoid eating large meals, spicy food, or indulging in caffeine or alcohol before bed. Your quality of sleep is determined by many factors including your diet. Enjoy a treat every now and then but if you rely on good quality healthy food, you’ll sleep like a baby and feel much better too.

Disclaimer: Nolah does not provide medical advice. All resources on the Nolah blog, including this article, are informational only and do not replace professional medical counsel. Talk to your doctor about any health, mental health, or sleep-related issues.