Going to bed hungry. Good thing or bad thing?

JodiSW

There seems to be a good deal of research on this if you search. Here's a couple I just read through with teasers.

"Limiting and/or avoiding food before nighttime sleep has been proposed as both a weight loss strategy and approach to improve health and body composition. Indeed, negative outcomes have been demonstrated in response to large mixed meals...data is beginning to mount to suggest that negative outcomes may not be consistent when the food choice is small, nutrient-dense, low energy foods and/or single macronutrients rather than large mixed-meals...nighttime consumption of small (~150 kcals) single nutrients or mixed-meals does not appear to be harmful and may be beneficial for muscle protein synthesis and cardiometabolic health." ~ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425165/


"...we found that the daily timing of nutrient availability coupled with daily/circadian control of metabolism drives a switch in substrate preference such that the late-evening Snack Session resulted in significantly lower lipid oxidation (LO) compared to the Breakfast Session. Therefore, the timing of meals during the day/night cycle affects how ingested food is oxidized or stored in humans, with important implications for optimal eating habits.
Therefore, in older adults who are potentially at risk for metabolic disorders, avoiding snacking after the evening meal can sustain LO and potentially improve metabolic outcomes." Then in the conclusion, "The end result of the reduced LO will be enhanced lipid storage, which over time will lead to increased adiposity. Therefore, in older adults who are potentially at risk for metabolic disorders, avoiding snacking after the evening meal can sustain LO and potentially improve metabolic outcomes." ~ https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3000622#abstract0

From the few things I just read it seems like (how other people have noted) that it depends on you and your body. However, the research on sleep and weight loss seems pretty clear. If your hunger is keeping you from sleeping or waking you up, it's probably best to have a small snack.

kshama2001

When I have moderate carbs, fiber, fat, and protein I stay full for a very long time.

But if I have something hyperpalatable and carb and fat intense, like pizza or ice cream, I can eat 3 times the calories and be hungry again sooner.