Why do I wake up hungry? If a person wakes up hungry during the night, they may not have eaten enough during the day or changed their routine to get more exercise. Alternately, a person may not be getting enough sleep, or they may have night eating syndrome.
“If you are hungry, you should eat something, regardless of the time of day,” says Aimee Takamura, registered dietitian and director of wellness and sustainability at Restaurant Associates. “The act of eating late at night does not affect metabolism or lead to many of the adverse effects you may have heard of.
“Snacking late at night will trigger more insulin production and these fluctuations in insulin can result in higher insulin resistance and decreased metabolism,” says Dr Kutteri. Delhi-based nutritionist Nmami Agarwal further explains, “Impaired function of insulin can increase the risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
Protein can help you feel full faster and for longer, so ensuring you incorporate protein during meals and snacks may help with mindless snacking. Some ideas include, a breakfast of oatmeal with a cup of low-fat or fat-free milk, small handful of nuts and fruit, which provide approximately 20 grams of protein.
The two main meals of the day are suhur (immediately before dawn) and iftar (immediately after sunset). These mealtimes are also related to two of the five main prayers Muslims perform every day. Muslims may consume other meals or snacks at night.
The urge for midnight snacking or sudden food cravings often happen when you have an early dinner and sleep late. Your body suddenly feels depleted and gives you hunger pangs making you binge in the middle of the night.
It's completely normal to wake up hungry. While a grumbling stomach first thing in the morning might not feel so great, you can easily fix it by eating a nourishing breakfast after hopping out of bed. Waking up really hungry doesn't automatically mean that there's something wrong with your dietary lifestyle or health.
A study published in the journal Physiology & Behavior found that sleep deprivation can lead to an increase in the hunger hormone ghrelin and a decrease in the hormone leptin, which signals fullness. This hormonal imbalance can result in increased hunger and cravings for high-fat and high-carbohydrate foods.
No, you shouldn't eat before bed, says Supan, and one reason is because of the way your body functions. “When you eat late at night, you're going against your body's circadian rhythm,” she says. It's all about the way your body adjusts its insulin sensitivity. Your body is more sensitive in the morning on purpose.
When we eat late at night, the muscles that digest and metabolize our food have to keep working when they should be resting. This can delay your ability to fall asleep and can prevent you from getting the deep, restful stage of sleep you need to feel refreshed the next day.
So when exactly should you stop eating at night? Scientists can't agree on a single set time, but the consensus seems to be within three hours before bedtime. So if you go to bed at 11 p.m., don't eat after 8 p.m.
“Eating late at night, right before you hit the hay can cause poor digestion issues, bloating, and inadequate sleep, which can lead to decreased energy levels and fatigue," she says. Plus, over time, crappy sleep can lead to weight gain—especially if you're habitually eating empty or excess calories at night, she says.
In many cases, fruits and vegetables can make your body feel full more quickly than eating a higher volume of other foods. You also can trick your brain into making that feeling last longer by mixing in some protein and fat that take longer to digest. Think peanut butter on fruit, or hummus or guacamole on vegetables.
Weight gain
Your body gains weight when you take in more calories than you burn off. This is the case no matter when you eat. Going to sleep directly after you eat means your body doesn't get a chance to burn off those calories. In fact, eating a big meal and then hitting the couch can be just as harmful.
When you stop eating, your body goes into “starvation mode,” your metabolism slows down in order to utilize whatever food it has available, and your weight loss will slow down. Of course, if you (partially) fast for many days or weeks, you will lose weight.
“On a day you don't eat for 24 hours, you're guaranteed to be losing a third or half a pound of non-water weight that's mostly from body fat,” Pilon told Global News. “The truth is intermittent fasting is a way to create slow, steady weight loss.”
While we encourage you to avoid late-night snacking, we also discourage you from going to bed while hungry. Your body constantly needs energy to function, even during sleep. Going to bed without a last meal means your body has less energy to rejuvenate and repair itself.