By: Annie Morgan
You’ve done well all day carefully monitoring your eating habits – even passing up the carb-filled bread at dinner.
And now it’s late and you can’t sleep… so you head to the kitchen for a late-night snack thinking it can’t be “that bad” right?
But what you might not know is late snacking isn’t only unhealthy – it can actually derail your entire health goals.
Here’s why you must give up late-night snacking immediately.
It Hurts Your Health
Late-night snacking isn’t good for the body in any way.
It can spike blood sugar, increase your chance of heart disease, and spike cholesterol levels.
And when you are eating at random hours of the night, your body’s natural rhythm is disturbed setting a disastrous chain reaction.
The Cleveland Clinic reported:
“Your body has something called the circadian rhythm. That is your body’s internal clock. Every one of us has one. Your internal clock wants you to be asleep at 3 a.m., not in front of the refrigerator.
If you eat during normal waking hours, your body metabolizes the food much more quickly and the fats, lipids and cholesterol in your blood are absorbed by your liver, muscles and your other tissues.
But let’s say you eat at 3 a.m. You get out of bed, you’re supposed to be asleep, you eat those cupcakes or ice cream. So what happens is the fats hang around longer in your blood than they’re supposed to — and that cannot be good for your heart, your kidneys and your other organs.”
It Makes You Fat
Chances are when you head to the fridge for a late-night snack – it’s not to eat vegetables.
Many people who struggle with insomnia due to stress admit snacking in the middle of the night “helps them sleep” better.
And typically late-night snackers reach for comfort foods like ice cream or chips to satisfy their cravings.
But what they fail to realize is their body isn’t burning fat, and the late-night snacking can make it even more difficult to sleep.
Not to mention all the sugar and calories you are loading into your body.
If you make it a habit of late-night snacking – your body’s metabolism will be messed up and you’re almost guaranteed to pack on the pounds.
Your Body Needs A Break
Every time you eat, your body must break down and digest the food.
Many health experts are firm believers in intermittent fasting – which means you go for a set amount of hours whether 12 of 16 hours straight without eating to give the digestive system time to rest.
But if you’re snacking at all hours of the night – your body never gets a break and is constantly having to digest food.
If you eat an early dinner – you can easily go 12 hours without eating (while you sleep) if you give up the late-night snacking!
Quick Solutions
Don’t starve yourself throughout the day or waste your calories on processed junk.
Make sure to load your plate with meat protein and vegetables so your body feels full and satisfied.
And if you can, avoid buying snack foods and keeping them in your home.
Chances are you’ll be less likely to get in the car and drive to the store to buy a snack at 2am while keeping junk food in your home invites temptation in.
If you’re truly struggling to fall asleep, consider winding down screen time before bed and stopping caffeine past 3pm.
But whatever you do – resist the urge to eat a midnight snack – your body (and waistline) will thank you.
Are you a late-night snacker?
If so, what is the hardest part about giving up the midnight snack cravings?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to share this article with your friends and family to let them know 3 reasons to give up late-night snacking!
