Occasional late-night cravings happen to all of us, but if you’re experiencing food cravings on a regular basis, it can be a red flag that you’re not getting the nutrition you need during the day. In this article, we’ll explore some of the reasons behind late-night eating, including binge eating disorder and night eating syndrome, and how nighttime snacking can impact your well-being.

Why Do I Snack So Much at Night?

Often, the reasons behind night snacking have little to do with true physical hunger. Some people reach for food as a coping mechanism to help them unwind from any stress or negative emotions they experience during the day. Others may reach for snacks out of boredom or because their diet was too restrictive during the day.

Eating Late and Disordered Eating

Late-night snacking can also be a symptom of certain eating disorders, including binge eating disorder and nighttime eating syndrome.

The Effects of a Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating disorder is characterized by a cycle of eating large amounts of food at once. Disordered binge eating is different from overindulging here and there, like on holidays or extra-hungry days.

Binge-eating episodes happen repeatedly and can occur at any time of day. Late-night cravings and snacking are common among individuals diagnosed with binge eating disorder, especially if they consume little to no food during the day. Stress and negative emotions are also a big trigger for binge eating.

How is Night Eating Syndrome Diagnosed?

As the name suggests, night eating syndrome is characterized by regularly eating late at night. Individuals with this condition tend to wake up several times throughout the night and eat to help them fall back asleep.

If you’re waking up multiple times a night to eat, see your doctor. They can review your night eating habits and sleep patterns and order a sleep test to diagnose night eating syndrome.

How Late-Night Snacking Impacts Health

Reaching for an occasional late-night snack is a normal part of life and isn’t necessarily bad for you. Eating late at night can start to impact your well-being and health goals if you find yourself munching through more nights than not.

Here are some of the ways your late-night snack habit can impact your health:

Weight Gain

Everyone has a certain number of daily calories that they need to maintain their current weight. This number is based on their metabolism and physical activity level. Eating fewer calories results in weight loss, and eating more results in weight gain over time.

If you’ve already consumed enough calories during the day, late-night snacking can lead to weight gain. If you’re trying to lose weight, eating more calories at night makes it tough to reach your goals.

Most people crave unhealthy snacks high in refined carbohydrates, sugar, and/or fat. Snacks, like chips and sweets, are high in calories and easy to overeat—a double whammy when it comes to eating too many calories and weight gain.

Spikes Blood Sugar

Your pancreas releases insulin to shuttle glucose from food into cells for immediate energy use or into fat cells for storage. However, this process becomes less efficient as night falls.

At night, melatonin levels rise to help prepare you for sleep. Melatonin can inhibit the release of insulin from your pancreas, which means any late snacks you eat can cause blood sugar to rise and stay elevated for longer than usual. Poor blood sugar control can increase your risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Poor Sleep

Eating too close to bedtime can make it hard to get a good night’s sleep. Night eating can trigger heartburn and digestive upset, making you too uncomfortable to sleep. Increased blood sugar around bedtime can also interfere with your circadian rhythm, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. Getting enough deep, restorative sleep is essential to feeling energized and focused during the day.

Impact Work Performance and Mental Health

If night eating interferes with getting enough sleep, you’ll likely feel tired and sluggish and have trouble concentrating on work or school. Snacking or binging on less healthy foods can also trigger guilt and shame in some people, which can lead to distracted, sad, or anxious thoughts that impact your work performance. 

You may also experience physical symptoms from late-night snacking that interfere with your day. A lack of sleep can trigger headaches, and overeating the night before can leave you feeling bloated or taking frequent trips to the bathroom.

Increase Risk of Chronic Disease

We mentioned above that late-night eating can increase your risk of weight gain, obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. Research shows night eating is also associated with an increase in cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality from chronic health conditions.

How to Stop Late-Night Food Cravings?

Late-night food cravings can feel overwhelming and all-consuming. You can get them under control and reduce the urge to snack at night by focusing on the following daily nutrition habits.

Eat Regularly

Eating enough food throughout the day is key to feeling satisfied and reducing food cravings. Learning to recognize hunger and fullness cues can help you meet your body’s nutrient needs.

To maximize satiety, make sure you’re eating enough protein, healthy fat, and fiber-rich foods at each meal and snack. These nutrients are slowly digested, so they keep you full for longer.

Here are some examples:

• Lean protein: chicken breast, tuna, greek yogurt
• Healthy fat: olive oil, avocado, nuts
• Fiber: fruit, vegetables, legumes

Eat Healthy Snacks

Most people need three meals and one or two snacks per day to meet their calorie and nutrient needs. It may sound counterintuitive, but snacking can actually help lessen food cravings and binging. The key is choosing healthy, portion-controlled snacks and not letting yourself get overly hungry.

Healthy snacks should also include lean protein, healthy fat, and/or fiber. Some ideas are roasted chickpeas, apple wedges with peanut butter, whole grain crackers, or a cheese stick.

Monitor Your Food Intake

Meal planning can help you plan ahead for what to eat and when, while a food diary can be useful to identify areas that need improvement.

Conclusion

An occasional late-night snack or eating at night when you truly feel hungry isn’t a reason for concern. However, regular night eating can derail weight loss efforts, disturb sleep, and increase the risk of chronic health problems. A registered dietitian can help you make dietary changes to reduce night cravings so you feel your best.