In my weightloss journey, I’m hungry close to bedtime most nights despite eating whole grains/veggies/minimally processed foods etc. for dinner. I’ve taken to eating cherries and kiwis in Greek yogurt, sometimes with some peanut butter.
Everything I’ve read, however, says you shouldn’t eat before bed. Should I try to stop this nighttime snack meal?
Thanks
Hey Tim,
Hope everything is going well with you. I think you’ll note that we have never said people shouldn’t eat before bed. And for good reason…it doesn’t matter.
In many societies, people eat the majority of their Calories in the evening, often reaching for ultra-processed foods after dinner. Theoretically, recommending people eat less at night could change behavior and ultimately reduce total daily intake. This is mostly speculation.
Individuals with metabolic dysfunction, e.g. insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and also may benefit from eating the majority of their Calories earlier in the day due to some circadian rhythm based changes in hormones. If people exercise in the evening however, this effect is pretty much wiped.
Save for these scenarios, there’s no real reason to advise avoiding food before bed. Calories don’t have a clock and energy balance is figured or accounted for over a much longer period than a single day.
-Jordan
Hey Jordan,
I’ve heard this before from a weight loss standpoint, but does having a snack before bed impact sleep quality? I don’t know where I heard this, but I have heard no food within 2 hours of sleep for better sleep. Or should this be added to the fake news category?
Thanks for all you guys do!
We don’t really have great evidence to say one way or another, as it appears this is mostly an individualized thing.
There’s data in shift workers showing that the closer they eat to bed time, the more they sleep. In non shift work individuals, there’s data on both sides, though none of it super duper strong.
Outside of cases where I have concerns about reflux, I don’t think it really matters for most people outside of preferences.