Are you supposed to go to sleep hungry?

Your food doesn’t digest properly or takes longer to digest i think .
If you are ALWAYS hungry at bed time , have a snack a while before bedtime or it could just be you need a drink of water .

Sometimes I have a little yogurt or fruit. It seems light, helps, and has always been ok.

Breakfast is purported to be the “most important meal of the day,” but it is rare for me to eat breakfast. I usually don’t eat the first six or seven hours of the day. After that I begin eating and I do not stop until right before I go to bed. Right now, at 4:31 AM I’m eating a sandwich, and I plan to be in bed within ten minutes.

I have never felt any ill effects from my eating habits. I assume that if there were some reason why I shouldn’t eat at this time of the night my body would inform me in some way. So far it has not. However, sometimes after eating a large meal my body responds with sleepiness. Considering this, I would think that it is natural to sleep after eating.

The human body is a versatile machine. I think it can deal with food at any time of the day. Unless you notice that you don’t feel well when you go to sleep on a full stomach I wouldn’t worry about it.

Having a snack, glass of juice, or fruit before bed will not hurt you. Hubby always has a sllice of toast. The most important thing to remember is to brush your teeth after you eat, because the food could damage your teeth.

A light snack that is easy to digest is what I typically eat before bedtime since my blood sugar level is on the low side. That way when I wake up, I don’t feel as lethargic. You’ll have to find your own body’s happy medium… my fave before bedtime snack is oatmeal!

I can’t fall asleep when I am hungry. If I am dieting I make sure I am going to have enough calories at night that I will fall asleep and stay asleep through the night. I don’t eat right before bed though, not because of some rule in my head, I’m just stating this to demonstrate I am not a night-time eater. Personally, I think it best to eat at least four smaller meals throughout the day, then you are less likely to “binge” other times during the day. If you are that hungry at night maybe you are not eating enough throughout the day? Or, maybe you are bored or eating for other reasons? I guess maybe you have to decide if you are happy with your weight. If you are normal weight and feel no ill affects from eating late in the evening I don’t see why it would be bad.

they say eating before you got to bed gives you nightmares.

@aamirraza – please stop linking that site

I don’t think anyone can really sleep with a grumbling stomach. Maybe just have something light if you feel hungry.

The last time you eat should be about 2–3 hours before bed. When your metabolism slows down during sleep, the undigested food stays in your stomach longer and more of it is converted into fat.

If you’re trying to be healthy and/or lose weight, it is to be avoided. Anyone who says otherwise is either overweight or has a metabolism that is picking up the slack right now (but once these people get past middle age, they’ll find their metabolism can’t keep up with their bad habits).

@drdoombot I half disagree with you. Sugars/Carbs are stored as glycogen, once the stores are full then the sugars get stored as fat. It’s not really a matter of time of day. The same is for protein, they are stored in the form of amino acids, utilized during activity, or stored as fat, and fat goes to fat if you are not using it. So if you have not eaten all day or if you just did a 5 mile run, your stores might be depleted, no matter what time of day. The problem is people over eat and eat fatty foods, and are more likely to overeat if they have not been eating regularly throughout the day and feel starved. I’m a size 6 (sometimes I drift up to an 8), 5’6,” 136 pounds age 41. I do wish I was thinner, but I eat sometimes out of boredom I think.

Also, when they look at the habits of thin people they generally eat breakfast, I think that is because they have not eaten a lot of calories late at night, and they are thin, so they don’t have fat storage to pull from. But, thin people eat much fewer calories than heavy people, unless they are very athletic. I think late night eating adds on pounds for the most people because it is on top of a full days calories and it is many times mindless in front of the tv noshing on bad stuff.

I like eating before going to sleep! I usually eat a bagel or something and drink some water or milk after and then I’m good to go! :D I think it’s usual.=]

Im much like pete in the fact that i dont eat during the day at all for the most part. My first real meal is usually dinner. Im just not hungry at all during the day. Once 2am comes around im usually starving.(part of this can be blamed on the fact im usually high at this hour, but thats besides the point) So yea i usually end up eating quite a lot of food right before bed every night. I’ve yet to notice any ill effects (or scary dreams).

(Im 5’11 and weigh 145)