With busy work schedules, it’s easy to miss daytime meals or compensate them with a full meal after work. In many cases, there could be a lot to catch up with in the evening, for instance, checking if kids are done with their homework or just having a moment with them, by the time you are done with everything to settle down and eat, it’s late. But not eating well during the day may lead to eating a little more later on to be fully satisfied, and it may even be dangerous if it’s right before bedtime.
Having an early dinner is believed to have benefits to the body such as improving sleep, digestion, and so forth, experts say. On the other hand, eating dinner later in the evening could contribute to weight gain, and also set you up for potential health impacts like higher risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Emmy Ntamanga, a Kigali-based nutrition consultant, says that eating late could lead to obesity because one is likely to consume more calories.
He says that late eating, for example while lying on your stomach, can result in ailments such as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It occurs when stomach acid repeatedly flows back into the tube connecting your mouth and stomach (oesophagus).
Ntamanga warns against feeding on reflux-inducing foods before bed, and these include; chocolate, coffee, alcohol, spicy foods, and high-fat foods like fries or pastries. He also explains that late dinner could change blood sugar because processed, high-carb foods can cause unhealthy blood sugar spikes, mainly for people with diabetes. This is because such people don’t have enough insulin to balance their blood sugar levels, a thing that can lead to episodes of both high and low blood sugar.
Sometimes life gets in the way and meals and snack times can change. But in general, you should aim to eat your final meal of the day about three hours before you go to bed to support healthy digestion and good sleep, states Mayo Clinic.
"It’s best to stop eating about three hours before going to bed. That allows plenty of time for your body to digest the last food you ate so it won’t disrupt your sleep, but leaves a small enough window before sleep that you won’t go to bed feeling hungry. Keeping a three-hour window helps ensure a less disruptive sleep and a healthier body when you wake and get ready to face the day,” notes Cleveland Clinic.
"Late night eating is likely to affect pregnancy, for example, since pregnant women crave more for food and snacks, they may eat every now and then. This isn’t advisable by experts as they suggest that late-night eating tends to lower the body mass index (BMI). This would negatively affect both the woman and the baby’s health,” Ntamanga says. He highlights that late eating is also known to affect digestion. Because there are no movements at night, the body’s metabolism is low, which makes the digestion of the food slow.
He notes that poor digestion can leave you exposed to illness because your body is not able to distribute the right nutrients to you.
Experts say that eating before bed doesn’t necessarily make you gain weight, but filling up on calorie-dense foods before bed certainly can, which is why they advise limiting them.
For some people with eating disorders, Ntamanga urges to seek professional help and support as that’s how they can overcome the problem.
Research has shown that relaxation techniques can help manage eating disorders such as, night-time eating syndrome and binge eating, states Healthline.