Generally speaking, yes, it is bad to consume a large amount of calories after midnight (or several hours into your normal sleep window).
Eating late at night may not be harmful in and of itself, but it can contribute to weight gain if you are consuming more calories than you are burning. Additionally, eating a heavy meal close to bedtime may disrupt your sleep. It is best to have your last meal of the day a few hours before going to bed, and to make sure you are getting enough exercise and maintaining a healthy diet overall. Let’s take a closer look.
Effect of eating late at night on sleep
Eating a heavy meal close to bedtime can disrupt your sleep by causing indigestion, heartburn, and other digestive issues. When your body is working to digest food, it can cause increased activity in the digestive system, which can make it harder to relax and fall asleep.
Eating a large meal late at night can also cause an increase in blood sugar, which can make it harder for you to fall asleep or stay asleep throughout the night.
Late night eating, disrupted sleep and weight gain
When you eat late at night, your body may not have enough time to burn off the calories consumed before you go to bed, which can contribute to weight gain over time if you are consuming more calories than you are burning. But even if you keep your overall calorie intake in check, if consistent late night eating causes disruption in sleep, you may still be in for weight gain and decline in overall health.
Disrupted sleep has been linked to weight gain through several mechanisms. First, lack of sleep can lead to hormonal changes that increase appetite and promote overeating. Specifically, sleep deprivation has been shown to increase levels of the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, and decrease levels of the hormone leptin, which signals fullness. This hormonal imbalance can make it more difficult to regulate food intake, leading to overeating and weight gain over time.
Additionally, lack of sleep can affect the body's metabolism and energy expenditure. Sleep deprivation has been shown to reduce insulin sensitivity, which can lead to increased insulin levels and a shift towards storing energy as fat rather than burning it for fuel. Furthermore, sleep loss can lead to decreased physical activity and increased sedentary behavior, which can also contribute to weight gain.
It's best to have your last meal of the day a few hours before going to bed, and to make sure you are getting enough exercise and maintaining a healthy diet overall.
What does the science say?
There is a decent amount of research in this area to back up our story that eating a lot late at night may not be such a great idea:
- A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that people who ate more calories during the evening had poorer sleep quality and were more likely to be overweight or obese.
- A study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that people who ate a high-calorie meal within two hours of going to bed had more fragmented sleep and took longer to fall asleep than those who ate a low-calorie meal or no meal at all.
- A study published in the journal Sleep found that people who had a high-fat meal three hours before bedtime had more disrupted sleep and less deep sleep than those who had a low-fat meal or no meal at all.
- Rack was created based on the science around sleep and recovery promotion using the natural pathways for serotonin and melatonin production. When taken an hour before bed our product was shown to increase the total time of sleep by an average of 78 minutes.
In conclusion, it’s best to avoid late night eating, especially with large portions of calorie rich, processed foods as this can cause a lot of disruptions in the digestive system and result in reduced sleep quality. If you are legitimately hungry, go for a small light snack (e.g. a boiled egg, some plain yoghurt). Even better, go for a Rack blend product that is designed to improve sleep and recovery and leave the pizza for someone else!
