Is It Good or Bad to Eat Before Bed?

You’ve probably faced this situation before: you’ve already taken a shower, lay down comfortably, and are ready to fall asleep, but suddenly your stomach begins to growl. What do you do?

There are, of course, only two options: to try to ignore the feeling of hunger and go to sleep, or, cursing the human desire for food, get out of the warm bed and head to the fridge. But what about the fundamental rule that states that you shouldn’t be eating after six o’clock in the evening?

Eating Before Bed

In reality, it isn’t so much about not eating after 6 pm, but about not eating 2-3 hours before bedtime. If you want to have a bite before bed, it is best not to empty your fridge but opt for a healthy snack. There are two good reasons for this.

First, modern humans retain cavemen’s survival instincts. If you are hungry, your body is programmed to hunt for food. Therefore, you won’t be able to fall asleep and have quality rest. Instead, every little sound will wake you up.

Second, you will lose muscle mass. Protein synthesis slows down significantly on an empty stomach, and the body starts to take protein from the muscles. Thus, don’t be surprised if exercise doesn’t bring the desired result and you get tired quickly and injure easily. Moreover, fat replaces the muscle mass, so that even with the same weight, you will look more swollen.

Food to Eat Before Bed

It is not when you eat but what you eat that matters. Of course, you shouldn’t overeat late at night. By that time, your body has most likely already prepared for sleep, and everything that you eat will go straight to your waist. Therefore, take choosing your before-bed snack very seriously.

Choose lean meat or fish and complement them with vegetables like broccoli or celery. You can have up to an ounce (30 grams) of nuts (almonds, pistachios, or cashews), fruit (green apples, pears, kiwi, pineapple), low-fat dairy products, or cheese.

See for yourself if heeding our advice improves your sleep and makes you feel good in the morning. Be sure to share this article with your friends who are reluctant to eat before bed — they’ll appreciate the information!

Valerie

I am an English major with a love of languages and fiction, and with an incurable travel bug. In my free time, I read fantasy, drink copious amounts of coffee, and like to go see movies. Culinary art means everything to me. My main hypostasis is the taster, though. The music school has taught me to appreciate the symphony of airy meringues, to create harmonious overtures of light snacks, hard rock of meat, fish, and vegetables on the grill. Choir classes have accustomed me to hear and feel the people nearby and create perfect harmonies of sounds.