What to eat if you are hungry at night? (2023)

What should I do if I'm really hungry at night?

“If you are hungry, you should eat something, regardless of the time of day,” says Aimee Takamura, registered dietitian and director of wellness and sustainability at Restaurant Associates. “The act of eating late at night does not affect metabolism or lead to many of the adverse effects you may have heard of.

Foods include: whole-grain bread, pasta, crackers and brown rice. Foods include: peanut butter and nuts such as walnuts, almonds, cashews and pistachios. Foods include: spinach, nuts, seeds, avocados and black beans. Beverages include: warm milk and herbal teas such as chamomile or peppermint.

Don't Go to Bed Hungry

While we encourage you to avoid late-night snacking, we also discourage you from going to bed while hungry. Your body constantly needs energy to function, even during sleep. Going to bed without a last meal means your body has less energy to rejuvenate and repair itself.

Why do I get super hungry before bed?

Bedtime hunger may be an indication that you're not eating enough during the day. As a result, your body may be trying to compensate right before bed by taking in extra energy to make up for what it missed earlier.

So when exactly should you stop eating at night? Scientists can't agree on a single set time, but the consensus seems to be within three hours before bedtime. So if you go to bed at 11 p.m., don't eat after 8 p.m. Banishing late night snacks after that time could help alleviate the symptoms of acid reflux disease, too.

Eating late at night may lead to acid reflux and negatively affect blood sugar management, blood pressure, and weight. This may be due to many factors like poor food choices.

High-fiber foods not only provide volume but also take longer to digest, making you feel full longer on fewer calories. Vegetables, fruits and whole grains all contain fiber. Popcorn is a good example of a high-volume, low-calorie whole grain.

If a person wakes up hungry during the night, they may not have eaten enough during the day or changed their routine to get more exercise. Alternately, a person may not be getting enough sleep, or they may have night eating syndrome.

Endless snacking at night can result from a number of factors, including not eating enough during the day or eating due to boredom, stress, anger or sadness. For some, there may also be a hormonal imbalance that causes severe increases in appetite.

A study published in the most recent version of the journal Obesity found that the body's internal clock, the circadian system, increases hunger and cravings for sweet, starchy and salty foods in the evenings.

What's a healthy night time snack?

Good snack-friendly foods to have available if you get hungry include fruits, nuts, berries, plain yogurt and cottage cheese. Try to avoid bringing low-nutrient food choices into your home.