We all know that unhealthy eating can be harmful to your health. But what are the health effects of eating late at night?
In this article, we will discuss some effects of eating late at night.
Here are the seven effects of eating late at night:
1. Increases risk of obesity
The main risk of eating late at night is that it often leads to consuming more calories.
A study by researchers at Northwestern University found that eating closer to sleep may lead to weight gain. This is because of the higher total daily caloric intake and a greater number of eating occasions.
2. May impair memory and learning
Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles tested the cognitive abilities of the mice after feeding them for two weeks. Their findings showed that the timing of meals may have significant effects on memory and learned behaviour.
3. Can lead to eating disorders
People who tend to eat their food late are also likely to make poor food choices. Part of the reason is that you’re tired late at night. And research shows that the more tired you are, the more you’re likely to crave unhealthy or high-calorie food.
4. Increases risk of GERD
One of the health effects of eating late at night is the risk of GERD. Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is an uncomfortable experience. It’s when food contents in the stomach get back up into the esophagus. If you are having late night snacks and lying down on your stomach and eating all those, then your stomach acids start to track back up your esophagus. GERD is more common than you’d think. Experts say one should have at least a two-hour gap between their last meal and sleep.
5. Disturbs sleep schedule
When your stomach rumbles at night and asks for more food, it is going to interrupt your sleeping cycle. You would have a feeling of tiredness in your body because of less sleeping hours. The average sleeping hours of a person should be eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. That is a sign of a healthy person.
With your sleep not fulfilled, you will be facing a significant impediment and not able to live a healthy lifestyle.
6. May affect pregnancy
Pregnancy is a period where our usual hunger pangs double the times of an average person. Your cravings would be touching the roof. And you would want to have food that too snacks at every point of time. But, at night you should stop yourself from munching anything before going to sleep. Doctors suggest that late night eating tends to lower the BMI of your body.
7. Can affect metabolism and digestion
In general, the body’s metabolism is low at night. This is because we are not moving. Eating late at night makes an already low metabolic state worse.