Dealing with late night hunger?

Options
Picklefrits
Picklefrits Posts: 18 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So far my weight loss journey has been going fairly well but one thing that seems to really get me is the late night hunger issues. I tend to suffer from insomnia so I am generally awake for 18-20 hours a day and when I am awake between midnight and 2am is when I get really hungry. I have tried to stop myself from eating after 9pm but even drinking a couple glasses of water doesn't seem to do the trick and it's miserable trying to go to sleep when all I can think about is food. I have been going through this for months and am slowly going crazy. What do you all do to deal with late night hunger?

Replies

  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    Options
    I pre-plan a late night snack. This is typically a couple of hundred calories but sometimes 500.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    edited April 2017
    Options
    I eat. I keep my goal low (1200) so if I want a snack I can have one without it mattering much. It does not mtter what time you eat. Don't believe that silliness. You can eat anytime of day and lose weight as long as you stay within your calorie goal. I ate at night constantly (as late as 3am sometimes) and lost 21lbs in 6 weeks. I also barely slept. I don't recommend it (the barely sleeping) but the point is it is all calories-in-calories-out.
  • knrthomas
    knrthomas Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    Sorry to hear about the insomnia! that must be really tough to deal with :(
    I used to be in the habit of having 'supper' before bed. When i was a child my parents always had toast with loads of butter and it has taken me years to break that habit! (unfortunately, i have several other bad habits during the day time ha ha). I actually started having a little bowl of healthy snacks at night time like cucumber and carrot sticks and a nice hot drink. When i thought of it as though it was a 'treat' it actually helped me to stop wanting other things and eventually over the time, i now just have a hot drink and don't need to eat anything to eat at all before bed.
  • eggdev
    eggdev Posts: 28 Member
    Options
    Account for it in your daily intake and you'll be fine. It may even help you sleep. The next time you wake up at midnight have a snack. Caseine protein is said to help sleep (yogurt, cottage cheese,...)
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    Options
    I know some people (night shift workers especially) rename their dairies to times of day instead of meals.

    So instead of having: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks

    They have something like: 1am to 6am; 6am to 12am; 1pm to 6pm; 6pm to 12pm or similar.

    That way, the food can be logged when it was eaten. I suspect that for someone with insomnia and the corresponding munchies, this might be rather useful as well. That way you can account for the snack during the day without being stuck on the traditional meals.
  • rach021979
    rach021979 Posts: 103 Member
    Options
    I read an article once that said for some people, a small midnight snack is ok bc it has to do with low insulin levels at night. When i need that snack, i have a low fat cheese stick or some lunch meat..does the trick. I had very bad insomnia for 2 years. I know that life...it took some work on my part but after a while i was off meds, mostly do to researching meditation and sleep hypnosis on google! Good luck. Inbox me if you want further info on what helped me..
  • Sunna_W
    Sunna_W Posts: 744 Member
    edited April 2017
    Options
    Hunger is also a symptom of not enough sleep. Have you thought about having a sleep study conducted or looking into the why's of your insomnia? I snore and use an Aveo Tongue Stabalizing Device which while not very attractive is more portable than a CPAP and works great (I got it on eBay). In addition to having a sleep study I also went to my general practitioner and was prescribed Trazodone an antidepressant whose off label use (50 mgs to 75 mgs) is for insomnia because it makes patients very sleepy. (I don't get a hangover from it and it helps me get almost 8 hours of solid sleep if I take it with a Benadryl.)

    I also suffer from thyroid issues (see the https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/2013/09/14/three-sleeping-issues/) and my cortisol levels are often higher at night and I feel that it contributes to my not being able to sleep. I am trying to lower the levels by retraining them using desiccated whole adrenal (start at a very low dose) and adrenal cortex, which I take early in the morning.

    Check out this article https://www.yourhormones.com/adrenal-fatigue/ for a good explanation of what happens when your adrenals are out of kilter. When my cortisol spurts at night it wakes me right up.

    Depending on the level of adrenal fatigue adaptogens (like ashwagandha root or Siberian ginseng) won’t work.
  • GemstoneofHeart
    GemstoneofHeart Posts: 865 Member
    Options
    I agree with ladyreva78. I have always had my diary changed to times of day. Mine are 6am-10am, 11-2, 2-4, 5-8, and 9 and after.
    My goal is to keep the 2-4 and the 9 and after as small on calorie intake as possible because those are my typical binge times. I still eat then if I'm hungry!

Categories