As a busy adult, finding time to eat can be challenging. Whether working late, staying out with friends and family, or doing evening-hour errands, your dinnertime may be right before bedtime. If eating before bed has become a regular occurrence, here’s what you should know about how it can affect your health.

What Are the Benefits?

Eating at night is helpful if you didn’t consume a lot during the day because it prevents your body from sending starvation signals and potentially holding on to existing fat stores, creating weight gain issues. Nighttime eating is particularly helpful if you routinely work out in the evening, as high-protein foods replenish muscle fibers to promote muscle gain instead of loss. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are among the most commonly recommended foods to consume before bed due to their high protein content.

What Are the Risks?

Eating at night proves harmful when you consume salty, sugary, or “bad fat” foods before bed since they contribute to water retention and weight gain. This is why so many people who eat at night gain weight; they are not focused on healthy whole foods—only processed and sugary snacks.

Nighttime eating is also detrimental if you have an acid reflux issue. Sitting upright helps the body digest food because digestive juices stay where they belong—in the stomach. Lying down can cause some of these juices to travel up the esophagus, resulting in painful heartburn. Since these juices contain stomach acid, your teeth are at an increased risk of enamel decay while you sleep. 

Don’t let nighttime eating become a problem. Create a healthy eating schedule and rely on one of the beds at Uncle Dave’s Mattresses and Stuff to help you sleep peacefully every night. The Collinsville, IL, mattress and furniture store has served the community for nearly 100 years and specializes in American-made pieces. Call (618) 344-5123 today with bed questions, or learn about the latest specials online.