Can you sleep while hungry?
oat_bran
Posts: 370 Member
I often see people say something along the lines "if I used all of my calories of the day, and I'm still hungry I just go to sleep" or "if I'm still hungry after dinner I drink a cup of herbal tea and tell myself that's it for the day" and it blows my mind a little because I find it practically impossible to fall asleep when hungry. Even if I'm just a little peckish, it's really hard to fall asleep. Granted, I struggle with sleep in general and often take at least an hour or even longer to fall asleep even when I'm not hungry, but hunger makes it pretty much impossible. Even if I take a sleeping pill. I am also a little amazed by all the people around me who have dinner at 6-7 and then just don't eat and go to bed 4 hours later.
For the context, I feel hungry no matter what or how I eat when I'm even in a small deficit (even when I eat at maintenance, too, to be honest) so that's a big obstacle to weight loss. I can power through it during the day, but at night it feels like I have to choose between having a deficit that day or getting some sleep. I eat a big dinner right before bed and still struggle quite often. I also often wake up at night, sometimes several times, and need to eat something to be able to fall asleep. I usually always have a carton of unsweetened soy milk in the fridge that I sip on before bed and throughout the night to be able to sleep. Which cancels out any deficit I was able to have that day usually... I often wonder how much of it is due to habit though? I've been considering to try and force myself to just stop eating after 6-7 pm and see if I can get used to sleep while hungry eventually...
I'm not really asking for advice to be honest (because I don't think there's one I haven't heard before), but I'm just wondering how hard most people find it too fall asleep when hungry?
For the context, I feel hungry no matter what or how I eat when I'm even in a small deficit (even when I eat at maintenance, too, to be honest) so that's a big obstacle to weight loss. I can power through it during the day, but at night it feels like I have to choose between having a deficit that day or getting some sleep. I eat a big dinner right before bed and still struggle quite often. I also often wake up at night, sometimes several times, and need to eat something to be able to fall asleep. I usually always have a carton of unsweetened soy milk in the fridge that I sip on before bed and throughout the night to be able to sleep. Which cancels out any deficit I was able to have that day usually... I often wonder how much of it is due to habit though? I've been considering to try and force myself to just stop eating after 6-7 pm and see if I can get used to sleep while hungry eventually...
I'm not really asking for advice to be honest (because I don't think there's one I haven't heard before), but I'm just wondering how hard most people find it too fall asleep when hungry?
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Replies
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Most of the time I can fall asleep just about anywhere and anytime. I've dozed off standing up against a wall in an airport ... in the middle of class ... on a gravel road after many, many, many hours of cycling ...
On a normal night, I'm usually out within 5 minutes of putting my head on the pillow, usually within about 2-3 minutes. In fact if I'm not asleep after about 7 or 8 minutes, I'm wondering what's wrong.
So yes, I can fall asleep when hungry.
However, that said, my last snack is usually about 11 pm and I go to bed somewhere between 12:30 and 1 am. I don't like feeling hungry when I'm trying to finish something important during the time I have the most energy late in the evening.1 -
Not an issue for me, personally. I can go to sleep a little hungry and be fine. But I could understand if someone had trouble doing so.
That said, if you are waking up in the middle of the night to eat, that sounds like a problem to me. The kind of problem you should discuss with a doctor who specializes in either sleep disorders or eating disorders.
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I actively prefer to be a bit hungry when I settle to sleep. I’ve found that I have disturbingly vivid dreams if I’m still digesting when I sleep.
I don’t like to eat for at least 4 hours before I go to bed. Just goes to show everyone works a little differently I guess.9 -
Everyone is different I guess. I definitely cannot fall asleep hungry. Even if I manage to fall asleep, a little hungry will usually turn into big hungry. Then I will get up and eat. So I save most of my calories for dinner and before bed. A high protein snack will typically keep me satisfied through the night.6
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Yes, i have that problem. That’s one of the reasons I eat 4 meals a day. I go to bed about 12. Sometimes I sleep til 8, but sometimes I wake up about 6 am. I don’t really feel hungry, but as soon as I eat, I go back to sleep for a couple of hours, so obviously my body is hungry, even if my mind is not. I’ve been that way all my life.0
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I'll vote for 'nope', can't sleep when I am hungry.2
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I can fall asleep hungry most of the time unless my stomach is actively growling and I am experiencing hunger pains then I probably couldn't but that never happens to me.2
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I can't sleep at all when hungry, and like you, even being a little bit peckish will annoy me enough to keep me awake. Usually I don't need much to satisfy me to get to sleep, but I usually eat within an hour of going to bed so I don't have to deal with potentially being hungry.1
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i can't fall asleep hungry so i save calories for a bedtime snack. whole milk hot chocolate. cookie. ice cream. root beer float. etc1
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If I'm only a little hungry and I'm very tired, I can go to sleep. If I'm not that tired or if I'm very hungry I can't. If I lie in bed more than an hour, I'll get up and eat a piece of cheese or some bread and cheese. That will usually allow me to fall asleep.3
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I have to save (or go over) at least 100 calories to have a snack around bedtime, and no I can't fall asleep hungry.
But waking up several times during the night and needing to eat is I think unusual, have you discussed that with your doctor?6 -
IMO if the deficit is set correctly (i.e. not too aggressively) and one's day is planned appropriately going to be hungry is a non-issue. I'm a huge fan of pre-logging as a way of allocating calories throughout the day effectively. As others suggested, manipulating macros can sometimes help with satiety too.4
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I can’t sleep if I’m hungry. I usually have a snack around 9:30 pm. It’s counted for in my day.1
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I can go to sleep hungry. I very seldom eat much after lunch. I cannot sleep if, for me, it has been a very low calorie day for some reason. This is one of the reasons the 5:2 plan would never work for me.1
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I can usually get off to sleep hungry but I’ll wake early the following day ravenous.0
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Hungry? Yes.
Fasted for 24+ hours? No. I'm wired and sleep for maybe 4 hours total, on and off. It's why I stick to IF instead.0 -
I cannot fall asleep when hungry, but then I am a night owl forced in to a day schedule and my sleep patterns are VERY fragile! If anything is off in my sleep hygiene, I will be awake for hours staring at the ceiling fan.2
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I can go to bed hungry - not starving, gnaw my own arm off hungry, but I can go to sleep fairly hungry. Do most nights, actually - not seriously hungry, but a little.2
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Most of the time I can fall asleep just about anywhere and anytime. I've dozed off standing up against a wall in an airport ... in the middle of class ... on a gravel road after many, many, many hours of cycling ...
On a normal night, I'm usually out within 5 minutes of putting my head on the pillow, usually within about 2-3 minutes. In fact if I'm not asleep after about 7 or 8 minutes, I'm wondering what's wrong.
So yes, I can fall asleep when hungry.
However, that said, my last snack is usually about 11 pm and I go to bed somewhere between 12:30 and 1 am. I don't like feeling hungry when I'm trying to finish something important during the time I have the most energy late in the evening.
You have no idea how jealous I am of you! I don't think I ever "dozed off" in my life past the age of 5 without actually trying to fall asleep.
And it only takes you 5 minutes? Wow... I have to create eleborate scenarios in my head to distract myself from the fact that I am actually trying to fall asleep and it can take a while, an hour or two easily, during which I usually get progressively hungry and need to get up to have a snack and then try again...
Don't remember the last time I slept through the night without waking up at least once either...3 -
I can go to sleep hungry. I very seldom eat much after lunch. I cannot sleep if, for me, it has been a very low calorie day for some reason. This is one of the reasons the 5:2 plan would never work for me.
Ditto.
I find it easier to feel a bit hungry when I’m not required to be energetic or to focus on something...aka bedtime.0 -
I have to confess that I'm one of those people who uses the strategy of going to bed to 'end' the eating for that day, so if I'm likely to exceed my calorie budget and can't be stuffed to do more exercise and it's lateish, then I'll get into my PJs, brush my teeth and read/listen to an audiobook until I fall asleep - telling myself, I'll eat the snack I'm craving tomorrow when I have a refreshed calorie budget. But I definitely sympathise if you can't fall asleep when hungry because that would have been very challenging for me during the weight loss portion of my fitness project.
Some possible strategies are low calorie jelly (if Aussie) / jello (if American
or some raspberries/blueberries/strawberries together with some carbonated mineral water - this fills me up. The lime or lemon flavoured mineral water has almost no calories and is very good for giving you a full feeling esp if eating a small portion or just wanting to use an evening snack.
If fruit doesn't get you there, then carbonated water + a gingernut/ginger thin biscuit can get you there - some of those biscuits are relatively low in calories and yummy so good for tidying you over when hungry.
Good luck!4 -
Most of the time I can fall asleep just about anywhere and anytime. I've dozed off standing up against a wall in an airport ... in the middle of class ... on a gravel road after many, many, many hours of cycling ...
On a normal night, I'm usually out within 5 minutes of putting my head on the pillow, usually within about 2-3 minutes. In fact if I'm not asleep after about 7 or 8 minutes, I'm wondering what's wrong.
So yes, I can fall asleep when hungry.
However, that said, my last snack is usually about 11 pm and I go to bed somewhere between 12:30 and 1 am. I don't like feeling hungry when I'm trying to finish something important during the time I have the most energy late in the evening.
You have no idea how jealous I am of you! I don't think I ever "dozed off" in my life past the age of 5 without actually trying to fall asleep.
And it only takes you 5 minutes? Wow... I have to create eleborate scenarios in my head to distract myself from the fact that I am actually trying to fall asleep and it can take a while, an hour or two easily, during which I usually get progressively hungry and need to get up to have a snack and then try again...
Don't remember the last time I slept through the night without waking up at least once either...
I don't sleep through the night. My bladder makes sure I get up once or twice.
But I'm back asleep again within about 30 seconds after those trips. I can usually remember my head on the pillow and I'm out.
A few times in my life, I've fallen asleep at some point moments before I lie down. I remember sitting down on the edge of bed ... next thing I know hours have passed, I'm in bed, and I feel like I haven't moved in a while.
Just had my last lecture for my current unit at uni today and yep ... nodded off for a moment or two ... even though I was hungry in there.
I'm just that tired!!
Have you tried exercising in the evening and then eating a small snack right before bed? That seems to work for me.
I also take a calcium and magnesium before bed ... I've read somewhere magnesium is supposed to help a person sleep.1 -
koalathebear wrote: »I have to confess that I'm one of those people who uses the strategy of going to bed to 'end' the eating for that day, so if I'm likely to exceed my calorie budget and can't be stuffed to do more exercise and it's lateish, then I'll get into my PJs, brush my teeth and read/listen to an audiobook until I fall asleep - telling myself, I'll eat the snack I'm craving tomorrow when I have a refreshed calorie budget. But I definitely sympathise if you can't fall asleep when hungry because that would have been very challenging for me during the weight loss portion of my fitness project.
Some possible strategies are low calorie jelly (if Aussie) / jello (if American or some raspberries/blueberries/strawberries together with some carbonated mineral water - this fills me up. The lime or lemon flavoured mineral water has almost no calories and is very good for giving you a full feeling esp if eating a small portion or just wanting to use an evening snack.
If fruit doesn't get you there, then carbonated water + a gingernut/ginger thin biscuit can get you there - some of those biscuits are relatively low in calories and yummy so good for tidying you over when hungry.
Good luck!
I remember I used to make batches and barches of sf jello for this exact purpose...
The problem with these tiny snacks is that if they "work" it's usually just for 15-20 mins or so which isn't enough to make me fall asleep... Thanks for the tip anyway.0 -
Most of the time I can fall asleep just about anywhere and anytime. I've dozed off standing up against a wall in an airport ... in the middle of class ... on a gravel road after many, many, many hours of cycling ...
On a normal night, I'm usually out within 5 minutes of putting my head on the pillow, usually within about 2-3 minutes. In fact if I'm not asleep after about 7 or 8 minutes, I'm wondering what's wrong.
So yes, I can fall asleep when hungry.
However, that said, my last snack is usually about 11 pm and I go to bed somewhere between 12:30 and 1 am. I don't like feeling hungry when I'm trying to finish something important during the time I have the most energy late in the evening.
You have no idea how jealous I am of you! I don't think I ever "dozed off" in my life past the age of 5 without actually trying to fall asleep.
And it only takes you 5 minutes? Wow... I have to create eleborate scenarios in my head to distract myself from the fact that I am actually trying to fall asleep and it can take a while, an hour or two easily, during which I usually get progressively hungry and need to get up to have a snack and then try again...
Don't remember the last time I slept through the night without waking up at least once either...
I don't sleep through the night. My bladder makes sure I get up once or twice.
But I'm back asleep again within about 30 seconds after those trips. I can usually remember my head on the pillow and I'm out.
A few times in my life, I've fallen asleep at some point moments before I lie down. I remember sitting down on the edge of bed ... next thing I know hours have passed, I'm in bed, and I feel like I haven't moved in a while.
Just had my last lecture for my current unit at uni today and yep ... nodded off for a moment or two ... even though I was hungry in there.
I'm just that tired!!
Have you tried exercising in the evening and then eating a small snack right before bed? That seems to work for me.
I also take a calcium and magnesium before bed ... I've read somewhere magnesium is supposed to help a person sleep.
Yeah, part of the reason why I get up at night is to pee, too. This is why drinking herbal tea and such to curb the hunger before bed is not a very good idea...
But yeah, I do all of those things, I take magnesium, exercise a lot and usually in the evening, have my dinner around 9-10pm, often followed by a snack right before bed and still often end up feeling hungry again while trying to fall asleep or when I wake up at night. I wasn't even in deficit yesterday. And woke at 4 and at 6 with almost painful hunger pangs.... But I think, there's something wrong with me, something that the doctors haven't figured out. Something hormonal most likely. Because I wasn't always like this.1 -
Most of the time I can fall asleep just about anywhere and anytime. I've dozed off standing up against a wall in an airport ... in the middle of class ... on a gravel road after many, many, many hours of cycling ...
On a normal night, I'm usually out within 5 minutes of putting my head on the pillow, usually within about 2-3 minutes. In fact if I'm not asleep after about 7 or 8 minutes, I'm wondering what's wrong.
So yes, I can fall asleep when hungry.
However, that said, my last snack is usually about 11 pm and I go to bed somewhere between 12:30 and 1 am. I don't like feeling hungry when I'm trying to finish something important during the time I have the most energy late in the evening.
You have no idea how jealous I am of you! I don't think I ever "dozed off" in my life past the age of 5 without actually trying to fall asleep.
And it only takes you 5 minutes? Wow... I have to create eleborate scenarios in my head to distract myself from the fact that I am actually trying to fall asleep and it can take a while, an hour or two easily, during which I usually get progressively hungry and need to get up to have a snack and then try again...
Don't remember the last time I slept through the night without waking up at least once either...
I don't sleep through the night. My bladder makes sure I get up once or twice.
But I'm back asleep again within about 30 seconds after those trips. I can usually remember my head on the pillow and I'm out.
A few times in my life, I've fallen asleep at some point moments before I lie down. I remember sitting down on the edge of bed ... next thing I know hours have passed, I'm in bed, and I feel like I haven't moved in a while.
Just had my last lecture for my current unit at uni today and yep ... nodded off for a moment or two ... even though I was hungry in there.
I'm just that tired!!
Have you tried exercising in the evening and then eating a small snack right before bed? That seems to work for me.
I also take a calcium and magnesium before bed ... I've read somewhere magnesium is supposed to help a person sleep.
Yeah, part of the reason why I get up at night is to pee, too. This is why drinking herbal tea and such to curb the hunger before bed is not a very good idea...
But yeah, I do all of those things, I take magnesium, exercise a lot and usually in the evening, have my dinner around 9-10pm, often followed by a snack right before bed and still often end up feeling hungry again while trying to fall asleep or when I wake up at night. I wasn't even in deficit yesterday. And woke at 4 and at 6 with almost painful hunger pangs.... But I think, there's something wrong with me, something that the doctors haven't figured out. Something hormonal most likely. Because I wasn't always like this.
Have you been checked for ulcers or GERD?1 -
In all this has anyone established your current height, weight, and deficit level? Are you losing, gaining, maintaining? if losing or gaining, at what rate? Did you have a recent weight loss or long period in deficit?
Over how much time and what was the weight change?1 -
Nope. Which is why I save calories for a bedtime snack (Usually 200). But even if I don't eat before bed I've never been one to eat during the night. But everyone is different.0
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I am usually a little hungry when I go to sleep.0
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I have no issues sleeping unless there's something unresolved, but that's a mental thing.
If I'm hungry I try to eat something full fat or carbs, like ice cream or oatmeal.1
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