Myth or Truth? Not eating before sleep

ralawar7

I looked around the forums and didn't find a post on this topic.

I wanted to ask if it makes a difference to limit the time when you can eat before bed.

For example, I heard it was a good idea to not eat 2-3 hours before you go to sleep each night. This way you are slightly hungry when you do fall asleep and it force your body to use some of the fat while you sleep instead of creating fat overnight if you had just eaten recently.

tigersword

Thousands of threads probably on this topic. Meal timing is 100% a myth. It doesn't matter when you eat, it only matters how many total calories you eat.

Sidesteal

Thousands of threads probably on this topic. Meal timing is 100% a myth. It doesn't matter when you eat, it only matters how many total calories you eat.

^ This.

it_be_asin

For me, it's so important that I eat just before I to sleep (and I mean 15min - 1h before I sleep), else I risk waking up hungry and midnight snacking.

luckyme65

I will eat my supper around 6 and then before I go to bed have a slice of turkey (lean protein) so that my body will keep on "burning" through the night. I guess the theory is that you don't want your body to go into starvation mode and by eating just a little, your metabolism keeps working. Hope this helps and best of luck to you!

ralawar7

Thank you, all! I will probably eat something very light before bed if I didn't eat recently.

wolfchild59

Myth. It doesn't matter when you eat, your body burns calories 24 hours a day. I burn about .9-1 cal per minute while I sleep compared to 1-1.1 when I'm awake and sitting around doing nothing. So eating when I'm about to go without food for six-seven hours (while I'm asleep) actually seems more logical than eating a few hours apart while I sit at my desk at work.

I've gotten home from the gym at 11:30pm, had half a cupcake and two servings of PB2, showered and gone straight to bed and woken up lighter on the scale than I was the day before. (I'm a daily weigher) So I'm not really concerned about the time I eat as long as I'm feeding my body when it's hungry and staying in my caloric and macro goals.

Plus there's been scientific studies and all that sort of stuff proving its a total myth. But I like personal experience better.

jonphoenix

when you go to sleep your body's metabolism slows down while sleeping because your not doing much of anything, your energy requirements are low. eating carbs before bed will cause your blood sugar levels to go up. since your energy requirements will be far below your current energy reserves, your body will process almost the entirety of those calories into fat storage. if you need to eat before bed, you should eat primarily slow digesting proteins.

slavaheroyam

My problem is if I eat too soon before I go to sleep, or even nap, I wake up and feel like I have a brick in my stomach. Other than that, I agree that it's myth.

Figuringoutme

It doesn't matter. I don't eat after 8pm. It's more because thats when I get into trouble. I Find chocolate, ice cream, chips, I look for anything and everything. i always get late night munchies.

maidentl

No, your metabolism doesn't slow down significantly and nothing different happens to the food that magically turns it into fat.

gersoco

Meal timing is 100% a myth.

That's good to know, especially since with MFP, I sometimes need to eat a banana or apple 30 - 60 min before bed to up a low cal count.

Almiel

There's another issue to consider. A light snack isn't a problem but if you eat too much you can start having acid reflux problems. Not fun, I can tell you from personal experience.

grassette

No, it is not a myth. If you eat too soon before you go to bed, you can get reflux where your digestive juices from your stomach flow up your esophagus. Many people have this problem. For those that do, the medical advice is not to eat 3 hours before you go to bed.

For more info, google GERD (Gastro-Esophagal Reflux Disease).

CaptainGordo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/390149-should-i-eat-at-night

maidentl

No, it is not a myth. If you eat too soon before you go to bed, you can get reflux where your digestive juices from your stomach flow up your esophagus. Many people have this problem. For those that do, the medical advice is not to eat 3 hours before you go to bed.

For more info, google GERD (Gastro-Esophagal Reflux Disease).

Some people have this problem, yes. But it has nothing to do with weight loss.

killagb

No, it is not a myth. If you eat too soon before you go to bed, you can get reflux where your digestive juices from your stomach flow up your esophagus. Many people have this problem. For those that do, the medical advice is not to eat 3 hours before you go to bed.

For more info, google GERD (Gastro-Esophagal Reflux Disease).

But for people without this problem, there is absolutely zero reason to avoid it, unless it bothers your sleep somehow.

ralawar7

Wow, so many helpful people/responses. Thank you again!

teagin2002

I time it, but only cause I don't like sleeping on a full stomach, and some times I get heart burn.

I still do eat min before bed I just make it a light meal, like a couple of scoops of chocolate whey protein in water then heated up to creamy perfection.

teagin2002

It doesn't matter. I don't eat after 8pm. It's more because thats when I get into trouble. I Find chocolate, ice cream, chips, I look for anything and everything. i always get late night munchies.

Memories....

Crystal_R84

I eat if I am hungry especially if I am under calories or I will wake up in the middle of the night feeling sick with hunger pains! Just make healthy choices!

AI1108

A caloric deficit is a caloric deficit at any time of day. It doesn't matter what time you eat. If you eat less than you burn overall you will lose weight.

joejccva71

when you go to sleep your body's metabolism slows down while sleeping because your not doing much of anything, your energy requirements are low. eating carbs before bed will cause your blood sugar levels to go up. since your energy requirements will be far below your current energy reserves, your body will process almost the entirety of those calories into fat storage. if you need to eat before bed, you should eat primarily slow digesting proteins.

Incorrect regarding calories going into fat storage.

tigersword

I will eat my supper around 6 and then before I go to bed have a slice of turkey (lean protein) so that my body will keep on "burning" through the night. I guess the theory is that you don't want your body to go into starvation mode and by eating just a little, your metabolism keeps working. Hope this helps and best of luck to you!

when you go to sleep your body's metabolism slows down while sleeping because your not doing much of anything, your energy requirements are low. eating carbs before bed will cause your blood sugar levels to go up. since your energy requirements will be far below your current energy reserves, your body will process almost the entirety of those calories into fat storage. if you need to eat before bed, you should eat primarily slow digesting proteins.

Just for the record, these are both myths, also. Your metabolism runs roughly the same 24/7, and it takes several days of total fasting, or several weeks of severe calorie restriction, for your body to start going into, "starvation mode."

Also, your body stores and retrieves fat on a constant basis. It does not magically store fat because you're sleeping, it converts the food to glycogen for storage, and the rest as fat, just like it would if you ate breakfast.

OXfitness

For those who say it's a myth. My question is HAVE YOU TRIED IT? The answer is probably no.

From my experience I will tell you that eating right before bed will not derail you weight loss efforts since everything you eat gets broken down while you sleep anyway. HOWEVER, since you don't need nearly half as much energy while sleeping as you would to get through the day, anything that was broken down and NOT burned for energy ends up being stored as FAT. So when you go to sleep on an empty stomach, your body begins break down FAT rather than a stomach full of food. Since you don't feel hunger pangs in your sleep, you'll essentially be burning fat nonstop for 7-8 hours or however long you sleep! If you're having trouble shedding some pounds, try this for a week and I promise you'll see a difference.

NOTE: (Obviously you must still stay within your daily calory range. Overeating and stopping 3 hrs before bedtime won't do you any good. This method works BEST when your diet is balanced to begin with. Meaning your eating at least 5 times a day)


It's just basic common sense and science... there's no hocus pocus to it!. So to answer the question TRUTH but it's not a deal breaker or the end of the world if you don't follow it!

Before anyone comes after my head let me just say that I'm FAR from an expert on the subject of nutrition, but EXPERIENCE has been VERY good to me!

bmqbonnie

Doesn't matter.

I did recently read a study that having a small carb snack (like toast or some crackers) a little before bed can help you sleep. More sleep -> less tired the next day -> less likely to make poor food choices. So if anything it is good to eat a little before bed. I am frequently hungry right around bed time and often have a small snack or I won't be able to sleep.

ElizabethRoad

I'll bet all of you who believe you can't eat right before bed also believe you have to eat first thing in the morning to jumpstart your metabolism. It seems like there's a disconnect in your thinking... like you don't realize that one day just flows into another, and the food you ate the night before will be able to fuel your body in the morning.

32mandy1979

I have always read that a person should not eat after 6p.m. I try to use that as a rule of thumb. IF for some odd chance it is later than 6pm to eat supper then I just grab a low cal low fat "snack" to hold me over till breakfast. Added with a lot of water to make you feel full.

Sidesteal

I'll bet all of you who believe you can't eat right before bed also believe you have to eat first thing in the morning to jumpstart your metabolism. It seems like there's a disconnect in your thinking... like you don't realize that one day just flows into another, and the food you ate the night before will be able to fuel your body in the morning.

^ Also true.

And to the person asking if I've tried it, YES, I have.

I literally eat 80% of my calories before bed and I'm leaner than I've ever been. And I'm not some special snowflake that can violate thermodynamics.

Anecdotes and analogies are not science.

Kslice39

I do not eat 3-4 hrs before i go to bed because your body functions slow down when you are sleeping. If i do eat before going to bed i just feel gross and groggy in the morning too :yawn: ...i have a big glass of ice cold water and go to bed, thats just me though :drinker:

caseyp1122

I'm surprised how many folks here are proclaiming myth instead of fact. It's absolutely a fact that eating just before you go to sleep isn't the wisest idea when trying to get in shape or stay in shape. Most nutrition experts agree on this. I'm surprised how many people believe this is a myth.....yikes!