• Home
  • Nutrition advice
  • Fitness advice
  • Beauty advice
  • Recipes
  • About the Experts
English | Español

Discover Good
  • Nutrition
  • Fitness
  • Beauty

Sleep Eating and Midnight Kitchen Raids


 Posted by Susan Bowerman, M.S., RD, CSSD, CSOWM, FAND – Senior Director, Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training  0 Comment

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars
Loading ... Loading ...

Sleep and your diet are connected.

Sleep and body weight: what’s the connection?

Eating and sleeping are usually thought of as mutually exclusive activities—you generally either do one or the other. But I’ve met plenty of people who get up from a sound sleep in the middle of the night and engage in sleep eating. And it’s not just a glass of milk or a couple of crackers. Some get up and make themselves a big sandwich, heat up leftovers, or throw a frozen pizza in the oven. Another client told me she often woke up in the morning to find dirty dishes in her kitchen sink – which wouldn’t be particularly alarming, except that she lived by herself and had no recollection of having eaten. She finally had to install a lock on the kitchen door to prevent herself from ‘sleep-eating.’

There are all sorts of ways in which sleep and body weight are interconnected. People who are sleep-deprived tend to snack more, and they seek out ‘highly palatable’ foods (translation: goodies high in fat and sugar). The more hours you are awake, the more time you have to spend eating. There’s also the possibility that if you sleep less, you have less energy to exercise as intensely—or even to exercise at all.

Certainly, if you get up during the night and eat—whether you’re awake or asleep while you’re doing it—you’ll be putting away some extra calories. When I ask people why they get up in the night and eat, they don’t usually say that they wake up and find themselves hungry. Instead, they’ll say that when they eat something, it helps them get back to sleep. It’s a subtle difference, but an important one – because it says that hunger isn’t the driver. Rather, they’ve developed a behavior chain that leads from eating to sleeping (wake up—can’t sleep—eat something—go back to sleep). Every time they wake up and eat, they reinforce the notion that food helps them get back to sleep.

Inadequate sleep can also lead to shifts in levels of some of the body’s hunger hormones. Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat cells, and one of its jobs is to send a signal to your brain to tell you that you’re full. Problem is, when you don’t get enough sleep, your leptin levels plummet and so you don’t feel satisfied. If that weren’t enough, lack of sleep also leads to a boost in an appetite-stimulating hormone called ghrelin—driving sleep-deprived folks into the kitchen looking for a midnight snack.

So, getting adequate and uninterrupted sleep is an important tool in ‘girth control.’ If you’re wondering how to sleep and a good night’s rest doesn’t come easily, here are a few things to consider:

–  Regular exercise is key. Exercise helps you reach the deep sleep stages more quickly, so your sleep is more restful.

–  Your environment is important, too. Sleep can be disturbed if the room is too hot or cold, too humid, of if there’s too much light.

–  Keep tabs on your caffeine and alcohol intake, since both can disrupt your sleep.

–  Watch those heavy dinners, late night snacks and beverages, too. Nothing ruins a good night’s sleep quite like indigestion and a full bladder.

« Fresh Raspberries and Blueberries
Three Meals or Six: Does It Matter? »

    Share This


Susan Bowerman, M.S., RD, CSSD, CSOWM, FAND – Senior Director, Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training
Susan is the Senior Director of Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training at Herbalife, where she is responsible for the development of nutrition education and training materials, and is one of the primary authors of the Herbalife-sponsored blog, www.discovergoodnutrition.com. She is a Registered Dietitian and holds two Board Certifications from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, and a Certified Specialist in Obesity and Weight Management. Susan is also a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Susan graduated with distinction in biology from the University of Colorado, and received her master’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition from Colorado State University. She then completed her dietetic internship at the University of Kansas. Susan has taught extensively and developed educational programs targeted to individuals, groups and industry in her areas of expertise, including health promotion, weight management and sports nutrition. Prior to her role at Herbalife, she was the assistant director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, and has held appointments as adjunct professor in nutrition at Pepperdine University and as lecturer in nutrition in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Susan was a consultant to the (then) Los Angeles Raiders for six seasons, and was a contributing columnist for the Los Angeles Times Health Section for two years. She is a co-author of 23 research papers, 14 book chapters, and was a co-author of two books for the public: “What Color is Your Diet?” and “The L.A. Shape Diet” by Dr. David Heber, published by Harper Collins in 2001 and 2004, respectively.


Related Posts


6 Tips to Survive the Holiday Party Season


  • Search

  • Sign Up for Updates

  • Meal Plans

    • 1200 calorie diet
      Try This 3-Day 1200 Calorie Diet Plan
    • Streamline Your Diet With This Healthy 1500 Calorie Plan
    • 2200 calorie diet
      Sample Menus for a 2200 Calorie Diet Plan
    • personalized diet
      How to Create a Personalized Diet Plan
    • 1800 calorie diet
      Healthy 1800 Calorie Diet Plan
  • Fitness advice

    • Step It Up: Get Fit with Stairs
    • The Best Activities for Healthy Aging
    • 3 Tips to Max Out Your Daily Step Count
    • trail workout#ActiveBodyFit – Interval Trail Workout 1
    • sweatDon't Sweat It: Your Go-To Guide to Exercise and Sweat
  • Beauty advice

    • improve your skin5 Good Habits to Improve Your Skin
    • short hair8 Reasons Why Short Hair Could Be Your Next Look
    • How to Care for Your Skin After Wearing a Face Mask
    • Hydrating Face Mask: Make Your Own in Three Easy Steps
    • healthy hairHow Good Nutrition Promotes Healthy Hair
  • Nutrition advice

    • supertasterAre You a Supertaster?
    • Chefs' diet secrets
    • healthy behaviorHealthy Behavior: Making Healthy Diet Changes that Last
    • diet techniquePopular Dieting Tools and Techniques
    • Heart healthHeart health: How to fine tune your diet in 5 easy steps



Privacy Policy | CCPA Suplemmental Notice

Copyright © 2019 Herbalife International of America, Inc.