18 replies to this topic

[TheFountain]

Every time I take the suggestion of not eating too close to bed time I wake up in the middle of the night with a growling stomach. 

 

Why do people recommend not eating that close to bed time if somebody is going to have interrupted sleep due to hunger pangs iu n the middle of the night? 

 

And to give an idea of what I ate at about 7 pm (having gone to bed at 11ish) it was two giant chicken leg quarters from my local Ralphs that more than filled me up at the time. It's heavy, low carb and high in healthy fats. 

 

But I seem to have the issue of, if I do not eat a ton of food prior to bed, like 1-2 hours prior, i'm waking up hungry at about 4-5 am. 

 

I even took some melatonin on top of it!

 

 

[aconita]

The recommendation to not eat too close to bedtime is supposed to avoid sleep disturbances due to digestion... but we are not all the same and we don't eat all the same, if for you doesn't work I can't see why you should do it.

 

 

 

[joelcairo]

I've mainly heard this advice in the context of losing weight, as food eaten in the evening supposedly gets preferentially turned into fat because you don't "work it off". I don't know if this assertion is actually based on scientific fact, but obviously you should do what feels normal and comfortable for you.

[Schnurbi]

you could try the bulletproof diet, especially bulletproof coffee with butter. after a while you wont be really hungry any time of day

My reason for stopping food at 8pm is intermittent fasting. Doesn't get any better than this for longevity. lunch at 1-2pm, breakfast is, of course, bulletproof coffee. :-)

Edited by Schnurbi, 19 June 2016 - 04:48 PM.

[TheFountain]

you could try the bulletproof diet, especially bulletproof coffee with butter. after a while you wont be really hungry any time of day

My reason for stopping food at 8pm is intermittent fasting. Doesn't get any better than this for longevity. lunch at 1-2pm, breakfast is, of course, bulletproof coffee. :-)

 

What does your last meal of the day consist of? 

[TheFountain]

I've mainly heard this advice in the context of losing weight, as food eaten in the evening supposedly gets preferentially turned into fat because you don't "work it off". I don't know if this assertion is actually based on scientific fact, but obviously you should do what feels normal and comfortable for you.

I always thought that as long as your final meal of the day is not too carby or sugary then you're fine unless you're an individual really struggling to get your weight down. 

The recommendation to not eat too close to bedtime is supposed to avoid sleep disturbances due to digestion... but we are not all the same and we don't eat all the same, if for you doesn't work I can't see why you should do it.

My issues with digestion are mostly liquid based. I drink a ton of water, particularly in the summer here in SOCAL. And I do sometimes awaken in the middle of the night with the urge to piss. 

[Schnurbi]

My last meal is mostly 400g of mixed non starchy vegetables with 40g of butter and himalayan salt to taste, plus around 170g of grassfed ground beef or steak. Maybe I'll chase it with some dark chocolate or the likes. thats around 8pm, sleep 10pm and wake 7am. then BPC, lunch at 1-2PM.

Edited by Schnurbi, 20 June 2016 - 12:53 PM.

[TheFountain]

My last meal is mostly 400g of mixed non starchy vegetables with 40g of butter and himalayan salt to taste, plus around 170g of grassfed ground beef or steak. Maybe I'll chase it with some dark chocolate or the likes. thats around 8pm, sleep 10pm and wake 7am. then BPC, lunch at 1-2PM.

I've done this too. 

 

I have had to kind of minimize my chocolate consumption as of late because I was going past my limit to the point of diminishing returns (it was theoretically affecting my mood). 

 

I might actually do a post on why Dark Chocolate can make somebody feel great and uplifted at first but then have this diminishing affect later. 

[PiotrLC]

Thing is, everyone is different on how their digestive tract works. I have no problem eating close before bedtime. I usually eat a decently sized meal before going to sleep and I never felt it caused me any issues.

[Schnurbi]

There is a really good feeling that comes with waking up with a really empty stomach though.

[TheFountain]

There is a really good feeling that comes with waking up with a really empty stomach though.

Not when that empty stomach wakes you up prematurely. 

[dankis]

I would say, If you are prematurely waking up hungry, then this is an another reason to not eat before bed.

Waking up hungry in the middle of the night indicates problems with glycemia. I advise you to look into this issue and do blood work towards diabetes(may be also because of corticosteroid issues so don't forget about cortisol).

Cheers

 

[TheFountain]

I would say, If you are prematurely waking up hungry, then this is an another reason to not eat before bed.

Waking up hungry in the middle of the night indicates problems with glycemia. I advise you to look into this issue and do blood work towards diabetes(may be also because of corticosteroid issues so don't forget about cortisol).

Cheers

Non-sense.

 

All my blood sugar results are excellent, both fasting and non-fasting. 

 

My A1C is 4.2

 

Nice try, i'm a healthy young strapping lad with a big powerful dick. 

[platypus]

It still sounds like a blood-sugar issue. Have you tried a high-protein high-fat as your last meal of the day? A Trutein-shake plus a swig of olive-oil keeps my hunger at bay for a long time..

[TheFountain]

It still sounds like a blood-sugar issue. Have you tried a high-protein high-fat as your last meal of the day? A Trutein-shake plus a swig of olive-oil keeps my hunger at bay for a long time..

What are you saying, post prandial blood glucose?

 

It's definitely not some diabetic bullshit since A1C is the most determinate test for that and 4.2 is about the best you can get.

 

I have had my non-fasting blood sugar read 97. That's AFTER eating. 

 

Fasting more like 77-81 range. 

[platypus]

So why do you think you wake up due to hunger, if it's not an issue related to blood-glucose fluctuation? 

[TheFountain]

So why do you think you wake up due to hunger, if it's not an issue related to blood-glucose fluctuation? 

Fluctuating blood sugar does not mean anything diabetic as your earlier attempts at fear mongering suggested.

 

This is just what happens through out our normal days. Post prandial spikes are normal. 

 

If this Fluctuation was the result of sleep disturbances then why does filling my belly up before bed HELP me rest better than if I fast prior to bed? 

[platypus]

I did not fear-monger nor mention diabetes. I notice that if I go to bed slightly hungry I'm less hungry than normal in the morning. 

[TheFountain]

I did not fear-monger nor mention diabetes. I notice that if I go to bed slightly hungry I'm less hungry than normal in the morning. 

Good for you, I doubt your blood glucose numbers are better than mine.

 

I doubt your A1C is better than mine. 

 

My point is if the sleep disturbances were caused by what you said earlier then filling up before bed would result in MORE disturbances not less.