From cookies, candies or even cakes, late-night eating is a guilty pleasure for many.
Many people associate eating right before bed with negative health consequences, but is it worse than what they believe?
TikToker Yameen, also known as @babystepsfitness2, posted a TikTok last fall claiming that late-night eating leads to obesity, poor sleep, heartburn and poor sugar health.
But how accurate are these claims?
What’s false?
Vincci Tsui, a Calgary registered dietitian and certified intuitive eating counsellor for 15 years, debunks the idea of obesity’s link to late-night eating.
While eating beyond your average calorie intake leads to weight gain, Tsui says that genetics, environment and several other factors can also cause obesity.
There is a common misconception that calories double at night. According to Tsui, people tend to think they gain weight more because they are less active at night than in the morning.
Guianne Superable, a Calgary insurance agent, believes that eating late at night leads to weight gain, as he heard that metabolism slows down during sleep.
Tsui says the science doesn’t back up that claim.
“That’s not exactly true. Our brain, lungs, and heart are very active while we are resting. Those are still body parts that use a lot of energy while we sleep,” said Tsui in an interview with the Calgary Journal.
She added that the timing of food intake doesn’t matter as much as people think.
“I think this was a myth that was spread in the early 2000s. You know you have to finish eating by seven or something like that cause otherwise your body will store it as fat. And that’s not true,” said Tsui.
What’s somewhat true?
Does eating at night lead to poor sleeping habits?
Well, it depends.
Superable admits that he likes to eat snacks every so often.
“I like snacking at night because of my late-night cravings. It also helps me sleep knowing that I ate most of my favourites,” said Superable.
Tsui concedes that eating too close to bedtime can disrupt sleep for some, while others find snacking before bed helps them sleep better.
“I’ve also had some people say that they can’t get good sleep at night if they don’t have a bedtime snack because they’re feeling so hungry,” said Tsui.
What about heartburn? In this case, it is also contextual.
Tsui explains that when we lie down after eating, the angle can cause heartburn to some people or worsen existing conditions as food continues to digest in our stomachs.
“For someone who’s clinically diagnosed, precautions are taken when it comes to eating before bed. Avoiding eating two to three hours before bed and using wedge pillows can effectively manage such an experience,” said Tsui.
And finally, does eating late at night lead to poor sugar health?
Again, it varies.
According to Tsui, not everybody responds the same way to food in the evening. The idea of poor sugar health leans more towards people with diabetes.
The so-called dawn phenomenon spikes insulin or blood sugar levels the following morning, but it can also occur for various reasons.
According to the research, the dawn phenomenon leads to hyperglycemia — a condition with abnormal blood glucose levels commonly associated with diabetes.
Our bodies adapt by making more sugar when we don’t consume our usual sugar intake. A snack a few hours before bed may help ease the blood sugar spike the next day.
Why do we like to snack at night?
According to Tsui, what we eat at night boils down to what we eat during the day.
Tsui explains how self-restrictions on flavours and texture during the day increase our hunger and craving at night.
Depending on your usual routine, Tsui advises eating every three to five hours throughout the day to limit the possibility of late-night snacking.
The verdict on late-night snacking
In general, late-night snacking isn’t as bad as Yameen–also known as @babystepsfitness2–claims.
The Calgary Journal tried to contact Yameen about his claims about the negative consequences of late-night snacking, but we didn’t hear back by our deadline.
Evidence suggests that Yameen’s claims about the harmful effects of late-night eating are misleading.
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