Why You Should Never Go To Bed Hungry
There’s a rule that was drilled into many of us when we were kids, passed down from one generation to the next like a precious heirloom. “Never swim after eating,” they’d say.
But what about its under-the-radar cousin? The rule that you shouldn’t go to bed on an empty stomach? Well, friends, you may be surprised to find out that this age-old wisdom isn’t just a wives’ tale.
There are actually some compelling reasons to tuck into a light snack before hitting the hay—and, of course, these reasons go beyond the simple satisfaction of quieting a growling stomach. In fact, the benefits of avoiding nighttime hunger may impact your sleep, metabolism, and even your mood.
8 reasons why you shouldn’t go to bed hungry
1. Keeping the midnight munchies at bay
I’m sure this is an all too familiar scenario: you’re lying in bed, the house is quiet, you’re counting sheep—and then it hits. The midnight munchies.
Suddenly, you’re not imagining fluffy animals hopping over fences, but rather, fantasizing about the half-eaten bag of chips in the cupboard or that leftover pizza in the fridge.
Snacking before bedtime can help keep these cravings in check, and in turn, you won’t find yourself raiding the kitchen at 2 a.m. for unhealthy nibbles.
2. Promoting a peaceful slumber
Ever tried to sleep with your stomach growling louder than your neighbor’s lawnmower? It’s a bit of a challenge, to say the least. While eating right before bed has been proven to negatively affect your overall sleep and REM, hunger is equally as disturbing to your sleep.
Hunger pangs are distracting and can keep you tossing and turning. Your body also sends out stress signals when it’s low on energy, which can make it even harder to drift off.
3. Stabilizing the blood sugar levels
No, this isn’t just for folks with diabetes—maintaining steady blood sugar levels is important for everyone. Going to bed hungry can cause your blood sugar to plummet overnight.
Having a small, balanced snack can provide your body with a steady release of energy throughout the night, helping to prevent those dreaded sugar crashes.
4. Fueling the muscle recovery
For those of you who are fitness enthusiasts, listen up! If you’ve had an intense workout session in the evening, feeding your muscles with a protein-rich snack before bed could aid in recovery and growth. This, in turn, might help you gain lean muscle mass and improve your strength.
5. Keeping the grumps at bay
Hunger and mood swings? They’re like two peas in a pod. Ever heard of the term “hangry”? Going to bed hungry can increase irritability and mood swings the next day. Ensuring you’re not ravenous before bed can help maintain a more even-tempered, happier you.
6. Overeating the following day
Ever noticed how you’re ravenous after a night of little to no sleep? Well, the same holds true when you go to bed hungry. Waking up with an empty stomach can lead to overeating the following day as your body tries to compensate for the previous night’s lack of nourishment.
And what’s more, these hunger pangs often make us reach for high-calorie, sugary foods—not exactly the best choice if you’re watching your weight.
7. Negative impacts on your metabolism
Here’s a little nugget of wisdom that may surprise you. Regularly going to bed hungry can slow down your metabolism. How?
Well, when your body isn’t sure when it’s going to receive its next meal, it enters into a state of energy conservation—sort of like hibernation for humans. It does this by slowing down your metabolic rate, which means you burn fewer calories overall.
So, you might think that skipping a meal or snack before bed will help you lose weight, but it could actually have the opposite effect in the long term.
8. Risk of nighttime gas and discomfort
Digestion doesn’t clock out when you do—it keeps churning away as you snooze. When you go to bed hungry, the stomach acids and gases that are typically used for digestion can build up and cause discomfort.
This could mean you’re dealing with unnecessary bloating, burping, or even flatulence throughout the night. And if you’ve ever gone to bed extremely “gassy”, you’ll know how painful it can be.
Final thoughts
The consensus? Ignoring the grumbles in your tummy before bedtime could be doing you more harm than good.
No one wants to play host to midnight munchies, endure the symphony of a growling stomach, or wake up ready to inhale the entire contents of their fridge. And let’s not forget the grumps, sluggish metabolism, and, ahem, musical night gases that could tag along.
Bedtime snacking, it seems, deserves a seat at the table. A light, nutritious nibble might just be the unsung hero of your nighttime routine.
Next time your stomach whispers for a snack, why not give it a little nod of recognition? A small, balanced bite to eat could lead to better sleep, happier mornings, and fewer midnight kitchen raids. Now that’s a bedtime story worth telling.
Sweet dreams, and happy snacking!