Eating late is something that is more than usual in Spain. In addition, there are many people who enjoy some food before going to bed. extra snack to end the day in a more pleasant way.
Despite this, the idea is widespread that Eating before going to bed is not recommended.
There is a general tendency to think that The later you eat dinner, the more likely you are to gain weightYour metabolism slows down at night and you burn fewer calories. So everything you eat before bed will translate into love handles on your waist the next day.
The truth is that there is no unanimous position on this, and the issue of eat or not eat before bed It’s a bit controversial, with scientific evidence pointing in both directions.
Although beyond gaining weight or not, which in the end is something a bit superfluous, science has also pointed towards other possible risks to your health and well-being that eating just before bed can have.
It could make heartburn worse.
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If you suffer from heartburn perhaps you are not interested in eating just before going to bed.
And it is that among the possible Factors that can worsen this condition include eating late at night.according to the Mayo Clinic website.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)It occurs when stomach acid rises to the throat by escaping through the esophagus.o. Which produces unpleasant symptoms that include everything from heartburn to even laryngitis or dental erosion.
And eating (especially foods that can also promote acidity) before going to bed can increase these effects. Partly because if you digest while lying down, you prevent gravity from doing its work, making it easier for stomach fluids to escape.
Therefore, it is convenient wait about 3 hours before going to bed. Or what is the same, “no naps after eating, no late dinners or midnight snacks,” as advised by the Harvard website.
There may be a greater risk of gaining weight
Although there is no unanimous position on this matter, some evidence has pointed to the fact that Eating at night can lead to weight gain.
A small 2020 study found that those who ate a eating later in the evening burned less fat while sleeping than those who ate their last meal earlier (even though both had the same caloric intake and equivalent activity levels).
This could be because your physiology varies throughout the day. As nutritionist Carla Magdas explained, levels of insulin, leptin and ghrelin, hormones that regulate appetite, are different from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Hence, the Expert considers eating dinner late as a mistake that can lead to weight gain.
On the contrary, bringing forward dinner time seemsincrease fat burning at night and reduce appetite.
The body has an internal clock and many aspects of metabolism seem to function more optimally in the morning. Therefore, Eating earlier in the day appears to have a more positive influence on health and even weight, noted a 2016 investigation.
In line with this, another 2020 study noted that the Calorie burning is up to 2.5 times higher when eating breakfast abundant than when it comes to a heavy dinner.
Despite this evidence, further research is still needed into the possible link between nocturnal eating habits and metabolism.
Also, you shouldn’t be too worried about your weight, as long as it doesn’t reach a dangerous level for your health, such as obesity. So if you want to have a snack before going to sleep to combat hunger, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it either.
There is some risk of developing metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a group of disorders that pcan increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. These include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.
Science has pointed out that some of these factors linked to metabolic syndrome can be exacerbated by acquiring the habit of eating at late hours.
A study presented in 2016 at the Congress of the European Society of Cardiology picked up by BBC found that Eating at night has a significant impact on blood pressure.
During the night, a normal physiological process includes the decrease of blood pressure. However, the study found that a 24.2% of participants who had eaten within 2 hours of going to bed had not shown an adequate drop in blood pressure.
Some scientific evidence has also indicated thatEating dinner late can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or having higher glucose levels. And it has even been directly linked to a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
According to experts, Eating before bedtime causes the body to remain in a state of “high alert”which stimulates the production of stress hormones and can also disrupt circadian rhythms. Which in turn can lead to these consequences.
You may sleep worse
From drinking caffeine to looking at your phone screen, there are thousands of things that could disrupt your sleepAnd one of them could be eating before going to sleep.
Eating late at night is not recommended, especially if you are going for junk food or heavy food. It seems obvious that Digesting while you’re trying to fall asleep won’t make it easier for you to do so.especially if you already have a hard time.
A small 2011 study collected byEat Thisfound that patients who ate dinner closer to bedtime were more likely to experience sleep disturbances than those who allowed enough time to pass between their last meal and their rest. Hence, perhaps, experts tend to recommend having dinner between 2 and 3 hours before going to sleep.
But if you’re going to bed and feel your stomach growling, this could also make it difficult to sleep or cause you to wake up in the middle of the night to binge. Rather than exposing yourself to that, you’re better off snacking on something healthy before bed that will curb your hunger.
What’s more, a small snack, especially protein-based, before bed can give your body the energy it needs to carry out the task. regeneration of the metabolic functions that it performs while you sleep.
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Tags: Food, Sleep, Healthy Living