How long do you wait...

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melville88
melville88 Posts: 137
in Health and Weight Loss
How long do you wait after eating before you go to bed? Someone told me I should wait for at least 4 hours before I sleep otherwise I will not digest properly. Does anybody else follow this rule? x

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  • aesoprok
    aesoprok Posts: 70
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    I'm bad at that i almost always eat something in the hour before bed. It helps me relax and feel sleepy. I try to make it something light, like a little popcorn, a piece of fruit, or a pickle.
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
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    I don't think it matters your body is going to digest your food when it wants to.
  • BuckeyeLuvvvva
    BuckeyeLuvvvva Posts: 48 Member
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    This is so hard for me too! I know myself well enought to know that I like to snack late-night better than any time of day. I've heard that 2-3 hours prior to going to bed is fine... For me personally I set a time each day, according to what I have going on that day/evening, that I will not take another bite of anything after. I try to set it as early as possible after dinner (an hour or 2 so i can have dessert of course!). It's incredibly difficult some days but by setting a boundary, I mentally eliminate the option of eating... this may not work for everyone but it might be worth a shot!
  • amtrust
    amtrust Posts: 178
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    4 hours seems extreme; I've heard at least 2, though.
  • angela75022
    angela75022 Posts: 100 Member
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    My Dr. told me 3 hrs before bed... and if you have issues such as reflux, you need to be able to give your body time to get over that.
  • mamaturner
    mamaturner Posts: 2,533 Member
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    I was always told no more than 3 hours before bed. But that's pretty hard! I go to bed around 10:30 and we dont even eat dinner til about 7:30... and there's no point in dinner without dessert! So what I do is brush my teeth when my daughter dose, around 8:30-9:00. But I also work out from 5:30-6-30 and burn anywhere from 300-750 cals, so what I eat at dinner gets taken pretty quick!!

    Good luck!
  • msbanana
    msbanana Posts: 793 Member
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    My doc says nothing but water for 2 hours before bed... (I have reflux so it's imperative I follow this or I'm miserable). I once had a trainer tell me that a higher protien snack an hour before bed was good for muscle recovery. I say the verdict's still out. :bigsmile:
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    I cut off eating at 8:30 and usually go to bed around 11
  • melville88
    melville88 Posts: 137
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    Yeah I thought it was a bit extreme too because if you eat 4 hours before you go to bed, then take an hour to sleep and 8 hours asleep then that's 13 hours without any food (more if you sleep for longer than 8 hours a night, which I certainly tend to do). Good idea about brushing teeth. I love dessert as well: trying to wait a bit after dinner before I eat it though to stretch out the rations! Also suffered acid reflux although not for a while. Thanks guys! x
  • jeniam
    jeniam Posts: 13
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    3 hours is my rule. I try not to eat after 7 pm, which is hard in the summer when we eat dinner so late! Occasionally, I do break down and have a snack with the kids if it's movie night or if circumstances led to me not getting enough cals in and I'm really, really hungry, but for the most part I'm pretty good about sticking to it. I find if I eat after 7 pm, I'm not hungry when I get up in the morning and it's hard to start my day with a good healthy breakfast. So eating too close to bedtime actually affects me all the next day.
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,616 Member
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    My evening snack is usually 60 to 90 minutes before bedtime, and it doesn't seem to hamper my weight-loss efforts in the slightest.
  • ellesi
    ellesi Posts: 7
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    I try my best not to eat within 2 hours of sleeping. However, i usually give in. :) My mother taught me two tricks though (they are not scientific or anything) but i feel like they help!

    1. If you do eat before you sleep- lay on your left side. It is supposed to help with digestion or something!
    2. Set out a glass of water and lemon juice on your nightstand. When you first wake up in the morning, drink the whole glass and rest for about 5-10 minutes. Supposedly it helps you clean out your digestive track

    Like i said, this is not medically based that i know of, just something to try! :)
  • kajaknowers
    kajaknowers Posts: 113 Member
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    I'm really bad....I usually have my dinner at 4 and therefore don't eat anything until the next morning....I got it into my head that if I ate to late the food would sit in my stomach so I opted to eat everything in the beginning of the day so I had the whole time to burn it off.

    x
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
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    I usually try to have dinner 3 hours before bed. If I'm starving closer to bed time, I can usually eat a piece of cheese or a small piece of lunchmeat and it won't affect my weigh in the next day.
  • ttkg
    ttkg Posts: 357 Member
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    I've heard 2-3 hours...4 hours seems extreme.
  • mabear74
    mabear74 Posts: 248
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    I've always heard 3 hours, though for me it is more like 2 since we eat late alot. (kids sports schedules)
  • mvl1014
    mvl1014 Posts: 531
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    It doesn't matter from a digestion/calorie POV. It only matters if you have reflux and indigestion.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    Actually it has nothing to do with weightloss. Your body will digest food the same as it does when you are awake. You will absorb calories, burn calories, fat, etc whether you are awake or asleep. (Of course you burn more calories when you are awake. I've heard people say if you eat before bed then those calories turn to fat and cannot be burned. That is an old wives tale.)

    When your body is digesting food, it is using energy. When you stop eating 3 hours before you go to sleep, the food has passed through your stomach and your body can now rest. Of course, your body is always using energy whether sleeping or not, but when you sleep on an empty stomach your sleep pattern is not interupted by the digestion process. This is true even if you do not have GI disorders like reflux.

    It makes sense when you think of how the body works. Of course there is no dire need to always sleep on an empty stomach. If you do, you will notice a more restful, deeper sleep...provided the rest of your sleeping conditions are in line with a restful slumber. (ie: dark room, right temp, quiet, comfortable, etc.)

    That being said, deep sleep is connected to healthy weightloss. So I think that is where the connection comes in. My endocrinologist told me not to eat 3 hours prior to sleeping and I have been sticking to that for the most part. I have noticed better sleep. I don't always have the schedule to be strict about that, but I do try. For the most part, I think it is a good rule to live by and I intend to stick to it. But I have taken my sleep routine very seriously and I think that has ALOT to do with my success lately.

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