We All Do It
We have all been there. Work went a little later than expected, it’s well past dinner time, you have to be up again in the next six hours, but you’re starving. Or on the flip side, you’ve already eaten dinner, but how else are you going to enjoy your favorite Netflix shows without a little comfort food?
Do you go to bed? Do you stop at a fast food restaurant just to satisfy your hunger? A little snack won’t hurt, right?
These are near-daily occurrences we all experience in one way or another in our lives. The overall idea of eating before bed remains one of the most heavily debated topics in the health world.
We’ve all heard it from our parents or friends: Eating close to bedtime is going to have a negative impact on your health and sleep schedule. Then, the negative impact on your sleep schedule will put you more at risk of obesity and diseases such as type 1 diabetes.
Keep to Your Schedule
However, as staff dietitian at the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany, Nijya Saffo states, these claims though true to an extent, are often entirely dependent on your own personal schedule.
“There is no set time that makes something healthful or unhealthful,” Saffo says. “It depends mostly on your own schedule and healthy eating habits.”
The most common perception about eating at night is that it can negatively impact weight loss and, in turn, affect sleep patterns.
“A general rule of thumb is to keep at least three hours between eating and going to bed,” Saffo says. “Obviously, being full and comfortable is a big thing.”
Normally, it takes the average person around three hours to fully digest consumed food. Sleep can halter that process, and acid reflux and heartburn may occur if one eats too close to bedtime.
“It’s more about making sure that you have a full feeling at dinner time, that makes all the difference,” Saffo says. “If you find yourself wanting to snack at night, that might point to the fact you need a larger meal.”
Avoiding the Ice Cream
Though deciding on the right time to eat dinner is tough, the ultimate challenge for many people is fighting the urge to snack late into the evening.
“You learn it (late-night snacking) from your parents and family most times,” Saffo says. “Some people feel that it is necessary to have a snack at night when you are getting ready for bed or watching your favorite shows.”
Eating later into the evening has been found to have an effect on metabolism by throwing off caloric intakes and sleep patterns. So, what is a person to do if they cannot fight the urges to eat, let alone snack at night?
“If it is second nature and you have to have a snack before bed, I would start turning to at least fruit or vegetables, something lower in carbs, sugar and fat,” Saffo says.
One Step at a Time
Eating later into the night before bed can create a habit that is hard to break. If you are eating your heaviest meals closer to bedtime, you are going to wake up fuller than you should in the morning, which will continue to push your meals later into the day.
“Obviously, make sure you are eating a meal with a healthy balance of lean meats, whole grains and vegetables,” Saffo says. “If you do have to eat before bed, at least try not going to bed right after that meal.”
While there may be no permanent solution to completely curb the nighttime eating urges, the most important thing you can do is become more observant of your own daily habits.
“It’s not exactly when you eat, I don’t think there is a set time for certain meals,” Saffos says. “It comes down to how you eat and how much you are eating.”
Rocco Falleti is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at rfalleti@cityscenecolumbus.com.
