Eating Before Bed

darreneatschicken

I stuff myself silly before I go to bed. Is this unhealthy? Scientific articles to support your answer would be nice

InFitRealm

If you are concerned that you gain weight as you eat before you go to sleep then it is a myth. It's always important what you eat, no matter if you eat it in the morning or evening.
The other thing you should think of here. Generally the sleep is a reserved time for our organism to rest, recover, "recharge the batteries".
If you eat just before sleep you interrupt this process as your body has still some work to do - digest the food. Therefore the quality of your sleep is worse and may have an impact (e.g. greater appetite, the feeling of weariness after you wake up).
But a healthy and light snack like fruits shouldn't cause it.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics wrote a great article about this but I cannot find it now. But you can check their opinion under this link:
www.sharecare.com/health/eating-habits-nutrition/is-eating-before-bed-bad

David_AUS

Ditto InFitRealm - as lings as it does not affect the quality of your sleep. I could dredge up scientific articles but essentially it is an overall calorie deficit that impacts weight loss. There are many conflicting articles on 3 meals a day vs 6 etc.... You will leave more confused that you started - in the end you will do what works best for you to maintain the calorie deficit you require for weight loss.

darreneatschicken

i look to gain weight

InFitRealm

No matter if you want to gain or lose weight, the same rule applies. It's about the quality of your sleep.
Generally it's not consider as healthy behaviour due to this. It's better to eat your last meal about 2-3 hours before you go to sleep. The time of course depends on what kind of meal you plan to eat.

Lizzy622

You can also develop acid reflux. The digestive system doesn't work right horizontally and acid can back up the esophagus. Eat a bit earlier to allow gravity time to help digestion.

erickirb

No matter if you want to gain or lose weight, the same rule applies. It's about the quality of your sleep.
Generally it's not consider as healthy behaviour due to this. It's better to eat your last meal about 2-3 hours before you go to sleep. The time of course depends on what kind of meal you plan to eat.

Why? As long as you are meeting your calorie goals and it isn't affecting your sleep there shouldn't be any reason that you can't do this.

spisea

Your movement helps the stomach/intestines do their work of moving food through the digestive tract. When you sleep, you aren't moving, and the food doesn't move through as smoothly. That's why heartburn is a risk. Doing this is likely to cause you harm long term.

J72FIT

Your movement helps the stomach/intestines do their work of moving food through the digestive tract. When you sleep, you aren't moving, and the food doesn't move through as smoothly. That's why heartburn is a risk. Doing this is likely to cause you harm long term.

This is one of the silliest things I have ever heard... complete nonsense.

CBWoodz

I hope this helps somewhat: First-off I think with the advent of the internet we can all find all the scientific research results we want to support any position we'd like to take. This answer is from personal experience: I am a deck & fencing contractor - which means I'm a carpenter, mostly - living & working in the greater Toronto area. My main working season is summer. Summer's around here can get really, really humid. I'm talking 32 degrees Celsius feeling like 42 with the humidity index. { That's approximately 64 F feeling like 114 Fahrenheit for my American friends} To begin with Carpentry alone is VERY physical work that burns thousands upon thousands of calories per work day. I am at a calorie deficit every single day that I return from work. Despite my daily caloric deficit I have managed to gain weight every year for the last ten years of my life. I've come to the conclusion that the only reasonable explanation for this is that I ate practically all of my calories in the evening / late evening anywhere within 1 to 4 hours before going to sleep. I do know I should eat little meals throughout the day, but basically I can't eat when it's that hot out. I also "forget" to stop working to eat; and... I hate feeling full when I'm performing these intensely physical tasks. So I basically don't eat all day & graze all evening. Therefore I believe it's a serious mistake to eat too much - of anything - too close to bedtime. Again - this is just my personal experience - it's not science.

InFitRealm

As I wrote it's a general statement. Of course each individual may react differently. Similar refers to diet, exercising, etc.
If it doesn't do any harm then by all means you can eat just before going to bed. But generally it's better to time your meal 2 hours before you go to sleep.
Just some nutrition habits have their effect not only on our weight or body. And eating at night is one of them. I agree that doesn't have to be related to every person though.
Everybody has to develop what suits them best.

J72FIT

Despite my daily caloric deficit I have managed to gain weight every year for the last ten years of my life. I've come to the conclusion that the only reasonable explanation for this is that I ate practically all of my calories in the evening / late evening anywhere within 1 to 4 hours before going to sleep.

Have you tracked your daily/weekly calories?

helenrosec

You can also develop acid reflux. The digestive system doesn't work right horizontally and acid can back up the esophagus. Eat a bit earlier to allow gravity time to help digestion.

Agreed. I like to eat a snack later at night, but have to make sure it's a few hours before going to bed as I sometimes get bad indigestion.

JoRocka

I eat a bowl of ice cream IN bed watching some netflix then- put it down and roll over and go to sleep.

It's fine. just don't eat over your calories and you'll be fine.

MissMormie

To begin with Carpentry alone is VERY physical work that burns thousands upon thousands of calories per work day. I am at a calorie deficit every single day that I return from work. Despite my daily caloric deficit I have managed to gain weight every year for the last ten years of my life.

Most likely the carpentry doesn't use up as many calories as you think it does. Generally the longer you practice something the more energy efficient you become. That combined with ageing (which lowers your daily calorie expenditure) can mean that your total daily burn is lower than you think it to be.

With regards to eating before bed, I followed a course on coursera from the vanderbilt university about nutrition. In there a nutrition professor who focusses on fitness and food mostly presented some research results which basically said that for weight it hardly matters when you eat, but if you eat most of your food late on the day (not necessarily before bed) you'll have a higher amount of body fat than when you eat more spread out over the day.

jkohnmobile

When controlled studies have been done to keep amount and type of calories consistent and only change the time of day they're consumed, it has been shown that eating later in the day makes no difference. It's what you eat, not when you eat, that matters. The notion that late-night calories are more readily converted to fat is bogus.

Having said that, there are a few caveats to watch out for:

- As already mentioned, eating right before bed can disrupt quality of sleep.
- People who tend to eat more at night are statistically more likely to make poor food choices (eg, choosing convenient junk over preparing a balanced meal).
- People who snack at night tend to eat more calories overall (since they're most likely not skipping meals earlier in the day, the late night calories are more likely to be excess).

But if you keep those points in mind and stick to your overall plan for calories/macros, and still feel that having some of your calories in the evening works for you, go for it.

JoRocka

I eat a bowl of ice cream IN bed watching some netflix then- put it down and roll over and go to sleep.

It's fine. just don't eat over your calories and you'll be fine.

this person is trying to gain weight however, they just need to eat a surplus of calories.....I would encourage healthy cals of course.

Bananas!

eat over - or under. doesn't matter.

But it doesn't matter. If you want to have a snack before bed have it. Healthy smelthy- especially go for ice cream if you are trying to gain and haven't got calories in for the day!!! Ice cream is the best!

Wtn_Gurl

I stuff myself silly before I go to bed. Is this unhealthy? Scientific articles to support your answer would be nice

I think the problem is stuffing yourself silly - at any time of day. that means you dont have control over your eating and you are not eating enough during the day to keep from starving.

eat when you are hungry, and stop when full. to do that, you have to eat slower so that you dont stuff yourself before your body is able to tell it its full (like 20 minutes after eating if my memory is right)

darreneatschicken

When controlled studies have been done to keep amount and type of calories consistent and only change the time of day they're consumed, it has been shown that eating later in the day makes no difference. It's what you eat, not when you eat, that matters. The notion that late-night calories are more readily converted to fat is bogus.

Having said that, there are a few caveats to watch out for:

- As already mentioned, eating right before bed can disrupt quality of sleep.
- People who tend to eat more at night are statistically more likely to make poor food choices (eg, choosing convenient junk over preparing a balanced meal).
- People who snack at night tend to eat more calories overall (since they're most likely not skipping meals earlier in the day, the late night calories are more likely to be excess).

But if you keep those points in mind and stick to your overall plan for calories/macros, and still feel that having some of your calories in the evening works for you, go for it.

I find that eating before bed doesn't disrupt the quality of sleep (I feel that it might contribute to me having to sleep more though).

I always try to eat healthy.

I stay up late at night to hit my macros, so I can't really go over, and if I did, it wouldn't matter since I am 146 lbs.

darreneatschicken

My mom says that if I stuff myself silly before bed, I won't see any gains.

Totally bogus, I told her. Else why am I gaining steadily?

She also told me that during sleep, your body is meant to rest, and not meant to be working hard trying to digest all that food. But if I'm sleeping OK, then what's the harm? What do you guys think about this?

itodd4019

I eat a bowl of ice cream IN bed watching some netflix then- put it down and roll over and go to sleep.

It's fine. just don't eat over your calories and you'll be fine.

I'm the same as JoRocka- except I like frozen yogurt. I get more of it

Apocalypz

I stay up late at night to hit my macros, so I can't really go over, and if I did, it wouldn't matter since I am 146 lbs.

What?

Megmo127

I eat a hefty snack every night before bed. I like my dessert haha.

Your body doesn't know what time it is & will process the calories as it would any other time of day.

1FearlessFighter

Real science here; if you eat before bed ( worst of all carbs) it is NOT good , this is because all your glycogen stores are already filled up from food at the end of the day so any remaining calories will turn into fat . Also carbs increase levels of insulin which inhibits growth hormone from being released during the deep stages of sleep and this Growth hormone helps burn fat and increase and replenish muscle mass therefore ideally you should not have carbs after 7 and not eat anything after 9 so as to keep insulin levels down to allow for maximum growth hormone release at night

Cheeseburger85

Real science here; if you eat before bed ( worst of all carbs) it is NOT good , this is because all your glycogen stores are already filled up from food at the end of the day so any remaining calories will turn into fat . Also carbs increase levels of insulin which inhibits growth hormone from being released during the deep stages of sleep and this Growth hormone helps burn fat and increase and replenish muscle mass therefore ideally you should not have carbs after 7 and not eat anything after 9 so as to keep insulin levels down to allow for maximum growth hormone release at night

Hey Real Science, how about some sources?

BombshellPhoenix

Real science here; if you eat before bed ( worst of all carbs) it is NOT good , this is because all your glycogen stores are already filled up from food at the end of the day so any remaining calories will turn into fat . Also carbs increase levels of insulin which inhibits growth hormone from being released during the deep stages of sleep and this Growth hormone helps burn fat and increase and replenish muscle mass therefore ideally you should not have carbs after 7 and not eat anything after 9 so as to keep insulin levels down to allow for maximum growth hormone release at night

Right? Look at the 6 pounds of fat I gained on my bulk by eating pints of Talenti before bed over the past 6 months....



hmmm...wait. I dunno, maybe I got my clown mirror goggles on but I think the 6 lbs looks pretty well distributed.

OP, eating a proper amount of protein and a minor surplus will give you optimal opportunity for muscle growth and minor fat gains, irregardless of timing. Eat when it makes you feel best...

MityMax96

I stuff myself silly before I go to bed. Is this unhealthy? Scientific articles to support your answer would be nice

Didn't you do a post the other day about wanting to gain weight???
So what does it matter?

My last feed of the day is usually ~8pm, in bed by 1030.....

Doing fine so far.

Veil5577

The only time I CAN eat is before bed, due to my work schedule. If I don't eat I won't sleep, and I have to sleep to function. I have not had any problems with heartburn or anything else.

JoRocka

science is ultimately proved by trial and error right?

well my study of n = 1

I eat easily half my food at night many times- often within 30 minutes of bed time. I sleep magnificiantly well.
And have successfully gained and lost 20 pounds (gained on purpose- lost on purpose) since November of 2013.

I've been eating late at night for the last 3 years because I"M HUNGRY at night. And I hate going to bed hungry.

I look fabulous- train for power lifting- and I spend 15+ hours a week in professional dance classes.

I'm doing alright.

BombshellPhoenix

I stuff myself silly before I go to bed. Is this unhealthy? Scientific articles to support your answer would be nice

Didn't you do a post the other day about wanting to gain weight???
So what does it matter?

My last feed of the day is usually ~8pm, in bed by 1030.....

Doing fine so far.

Yes, yes it appears you are. :flowerforyou:

MityMax96

I look fabulous-

I'm doing alright.

Agreed :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: