FOOD HEALTH: 3 COMMON NEGATIVE EFFECT OF EATING LATE AT NIGHT .

1. Weight Gain
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One of the most important reasons why you should avoid
eating late at night is due to the possible risk of weight
gain associated with this habit. While many people are
aware of the fact that eating late may contribute to weight
gain, they are not always aware of how this can happen.
Increases in your body weight during this period of time
are caused primarily by changes in the rate at which your
metabolism functions during sleeping versus waking
hours. When you eat during the day, you are relatively
active, and your metabolism is functioning rapidly. In
contrast, during sleep, your metabolism has slowed quite
a bit--and because of this, the food that you have recently
eaten will be metabolized and digested at a much slower
rate. This contributes to increases in body weight, and
possible obesity. People who are trying to lose weight
should avoid eating at least two hours before they go to
bed. If you must have something to snack on in the
evening, consider choosing fruits, vegetables or other
products which are low in fat and calories.



2. Fluctuations in Sleep Cycle
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Another important reason why you may want to avoid
eating late is due to the effect it can have on your sleep
cycle. Research has found that the digestive process can
have serious implications on your sleep cycle, causing you
to wake up more often, and have a harder time falling
asleep in the first place. One of the worst foods that you
can eat if you have a hard time falling asleep at night are
sugary foods such as cookies and other baked goods. In
contrast, chamomile tea or warm milk may actually help
you fall asleep at night.



3. Increased Urination and Excretion Needs
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One last reason why you may want to avoid eating late at
night is that doing so may increase the number of times
that you need to get up to use the restroom during the
night. Eating late at night will result in food being digested
during your sleeping hours--and because of this, you may
need to wake up to eliminate the waste products. If you
are really hungry late at night, consider eating foods with
high amounts of fiber, such as whole grains. These
products take a long time to digest, and won't need to be
excreted for at least eight hours.