Managing Nighttime Eating

I've had a few thoughts about what to do with nighttime eating problems since I wrote about it awhile back.  Click here to take a look at the previous article.

Putting emotional causes aside and focusing only on physical aspects, I think some people are struggling with nighttime eating, or overeating, because of a few reasons:

-- fatigue, feeling tired
-- trouble with sleep
-- actual hunger

Not a fully inclusive list, of course, but a beginning.  Here's what I suggest for each:

-- If you are feeling tired, seeking energy from food such as carbohydrates and protein, perhaps you should go to bed.  Many of us are working extra long hours, or taking on extra work to make ends meet.  If we burn the candle at both ends for too long, we'll be burned out.  So simply get an extra hour of sleep.

-- If, however, you are having trouble sleeping (as many of us have posted), there are some remedies you might try:  Sleep somewhere else, a change of scene might help by moving your bed, or sleeping on a different one.  Begin a practice of meditation, sitting in silence and quieting your thoughts before lying down to sleep.  Have a sound drone, something that whirrs such as a fan or sleep-noise machine.  Take a hot soak bath before retiring for the night.

-- Regular exercise every day often helps with energy and sleep concerns.

-- If you're hungry at night, and honestly sometimes it may not be habit, you might really be hungry, add some food into your daily food plan.  In my book, I offer a system of eating throughout the day, spreading out food intake every few hours so you're not hungry, but still don't overeat in that 24 hours.  In other words, if you allow for nighttime eating in advance, you won't be eating all of your food earlier and end up short at night.  It might be a simple adjustment such as having less bread at lunch in your sandwich, and having a serving of carbohydrate at night.  Or a dairy allowance later instead of earlier might give you a protein boost.


Of course, as always, if your physical problems are severe or negatively affecting your health, please consult a physician.  There are many treatments available for sleep, energy, and hunger problems.  Make sure there's no underlying medical condition, and if there is, take care of it.  That itself will set your mind more at ease and help you feel better.


We'd all love your ideas and suggestions about what to do when hunger pangs hit after dark.  This is a big topic of interest with many of us. Please post comments and tell us what you do about nighttime eating, or if you're experiencing problems, below.