Eating dinner too late may impact your sleep quality (Image: Superb Images via Getty Images)
For those who habitually indulge in a pre-bedtime snack, a nutritionist has some rather bad news. Eating late at night could be detrimental to your sleep quality, potentially leaving you drained the following day.
Pablo Ojeda, a nutrition expert, suggests establishing a fasting interval before hitting the hay to combat this issue. “I’m going to give you five keys to improving your sleep and rest because good health is not possible without good rest,” the Spanish food expert said in a this week.
“The first one is having light dinners. Avoiding heavy meals at dinner will help you a lot. Meals are easier to digest and do not cause discomfort nightly. A good mattress is crucial to provide restorative rest. It provides the necessary support to avoid muscle pain and improves sleep quality.
“The room temperature is also important. It is essential to keep your room cool, between fifteen and twenty degrees. A fresh temperature helps induce and maintain sleep.
“…Schedules are important too. Have dinner at the same time every day for a consistent circadian rhythm. Do not eat at least three hours before going to bed.”
[HEALTH]
Pablo’s views are echoed by other experts, including Dr. Valter Longo, Director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, who has spent his career researching the biology of ageing and disease. In addition to recommending regular exercise and a vitamin-rich diet, Dr. Longo advocates for eating within a 12-hour window each day.
In a , he wrote: “Confine all eating to within a twelve-hour period; for example, start after 8 a.m and end before 8 p.m. Don’t eat anything within three to four hours of bedtime.”
Helen Bell, a nutritionist at the UK Care Guide, has also highlighted the importance of allowing time to digest food before lying down. In a previous interview, she said that eating too close to bedtime can cause discomfort, explaining: “When you lie down soon after eating, it can lead to acid reflux or heartburn due to the stomach acid travelling back up the oesophagus.
“I would [also] say that eating before bed can contribute to weight gain. With my clients, I’ve observed that late-night eating often leads to the consumption of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods like snacks and desserts. These foods are more likely to be stored as fat because your metabolism slows down during sleep.”
If you simply must eat before bed, Helen believes that some food choices are better than others. For example, it is perhaps worth avoiding sugary or greasy products, while opting for lighter items instead.
“When hunger hits you close to bedtime, I suggest opting for light, nutrient dense foods that are easy to digest,” she said, according to . “In my experience, a small serving of foods like a banana or a handful of almonds, can be beneficial. A small bowl of oatmeal or a cup of herbal tea can also be comforting and promote better sleep.
“Foods high in sugar, caffeine, and fat are best avoided before bed. I’ve seen that sugary foods can spike your blood sugar levels, leading to a subsequent crash that might wake you up in the middle of the night.
“Fatty foods take longer to digest and can cause discomfort or indigestion, making it harder to sleep. For those focused on weight loss, these foods add unnecessary calories and can disrupt your metabolism.”