When we work late at night or watch our favorite TV shows, we often feel hungry, which often leads to consuming heavy or worthless foods.
During the day we try to eat healthy and nutritious food, but only one wrong meal at the wrong time spoils a hard day. All the low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets we follow, the exercises we do, and the calories we eat are lost due to a wrong meal.
If you are one of those people who often eats late at night, read on to find out why doing so is harmful.
How late is it actually?
Late at night is usually considered 3 hours before bedtime, so if you work during the day and sleep from 12 midnight to 8 am, late for you is 9 pm to 12 midnight.
At the end of the day, the body metabolizes all the nutrients it receives, and if you are not active enough to use the energy absorbed, it is stored in the body as fat, which ultimately leads to health problems.
Recent medical studies show that eating between 12 noon and 11 pm raises blood sugar, insulin and cholesterol levels compared to eating between 8 am and 7 pm, so if your goal is to reduce body fat or cholesterol You need to control your eating habits late at night.
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What are the side effects of eating late?
As mentioned below, there are several main effects of eating late:
Sleep disorder: People who eat late usually sleep late. This can lead to a disturbed sleep cycle, which can also confuse nightmares.
Poor digestion: When you eat dinner late at night, it causes several problems for the stomach because the food is not digested properly and leads to excessive secretion of acid in the stomach.
Weight Gain: The body’s metabolism slows down during the night, it is also not as effective in burning calories as during the day, so eating late leads to weight gain.
Impact on mental health: When you do not sleep properly, you feel irritated and moody. Because you eat late, you confuse it with your body clock, which makes you more likely to get depressed and anxious.
Hypertension: Eating and sleeping late can lead to high blood pressure and diabetes.
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What to do if you suffer from hunger late at night?
Even if you feel hungry after a hard day’s work or because of a long day at work, here are some tips to overcome this process:
Am I really hungry: If you have already eaten a balanced dinner, you do not really need to eat anymore. Hunger can turn into something else, so always ask yourself: Am I really hungry?
Avoid carbohydrates: This helps prevent high blood sugar levels and gives the body less time to store excess blood sugar as fat.
Eat foods rich in fiber: Adding some fiber-rich snacks to your diet not only keeps you full and full, but also improves digestion for better sleep.
Translator: Elahe Zarei
