Pros & Cons Of Eating Before Bed

When the clock keeps ticking, and you keep tossing and turning, the next thing is quite predictable – Grabbing a bowl of snacks and munching. Most people find themselves in the kitchen peeping inside the fridge, looking for something. This habit of eating before bed isn’t a new one. After all, who doesn’t like the idea of pleasuring themselves with mouth-watering snacks?

Although, there are a lot of misconceptions about eating right before bed. Many people assume that it is not good for your health while others believe it can help you reduce weight.

In this article, we will find out if it is bad to eat before bed, the effects of eating before bed, what you should eat before going to bed, and what are the common myths people believe in.

Well, some say, eat your breakfast like a king, lunch like a lord, and dinner like a pauper. Is it really true? Let’s debunk the eating before bed myths and misconceptions with the pros and cons list.

Pros

Weight Loss

Did you know that your body burns calories even when you’re sleeping? Sounds interesting, right? Your body needs the energy to function properly while it recovers from the previous day. And when you decide to sleep on an empty stomach, your body doesn’t get the required fats it needs to burn. This makes your body hold on to fats instead of using them.

Eating protein before bed in the form of healthy snacks might be helpful for you as it will give the body the energy it needs to burn the fats thereby, promoting weight loss. So the trick here is to eat healthy and avoid eating too much before bed.

Induces Sleep

A happy gut leads to a happy mind. It’s a proven fact that when you’re full you function properly. So if you have a habit of munching before sleeping, then it might help you get a good night’s sleep. Tryptophan is an amino acid that induces sleep allowing the body to get proper rest. You can be smart about your food choices and consume foods like milk, eggs, cheese, fish & nuts.

Maintains Blood Sugar Levels

Eating on time helps the body in regulating blood sugar levels. When you eat fruits, oatmeals, nuts, and whole wheat items help the body to produce higher levels of energy. When you have high energy levels you wake up fresh and active in the morning.

Satiates Cravings

Eating before sleeping can be helpful in reducing cravings. It’s mostly at night that people often feel like grabbing a snack. If eaten right, the midnight cravings can be subdued easily. For this, you should know what to eat before bed. Healthy snacks like apples, peaches, or peanut butter give excellent nutrients to the body.

Eating healthy balances the body with the required vitamins & nutrients thereby reducing the cravings for junk food. Therefore, the best advice would be to consume something healthy like eating an apple before bed. It will leave you satisfied and energetic in the morning.

 

Cons

Insufficient Sleep

Eating right before sleeping can be the cause of poor sleep. The food needs to be digested before sleeping. If you consume foods like caffeine then it might leave you all pumped up with energy thus making it harder for you to fall asleep. Make sure you avoid foods that are high in caffeine; especially you should avoid eating chocolate before bed, as it is high in caffeine.

Indigestion Problems

Although lying down after eating might not be ideal. What you need to know is that eating right before sleeping might be the cause of indigestion issues. Many people have a habit of walking after dinner and then going to sleep. Scientifically speaking, the food needs to settle in the stomach and for that, the esophagus needs to be clear.

Undigested food can easily result in acid refluxes, heartburns and create indigestion problems. Hence, make sure you digest your food 2 hours before sleeping.

Slow Metabolism

Although the body functions just the same as when it’s awake, the metabolism of the body might slow down if you consume carbs. As carbs take longer to digest. So you should avoid these too before sleeping. A warm glass of water or milk could be perfect for a good night’s sleep.

Heavy Food Consumption

Chicken cheeseburger, lasagna, fried chicken, etc., could be heavy to digest and should be consumed at least 4 hours before sleeping. These food items can make it harder for you to sleep.