It’s a common concept among gym goers that eating a meal rich in carbohydrates before going to bed causes the body to store fat around the stomach. But is this the case? While this isn’t the whole story, there are elements to this myth that are true. While your body is not active during sleep, you will only store foods as stomach fat during this phase if you’re eating sugary or fatty foods.
If you don’t eat anything before bedtime, you won’t sleep as well as you would after eating, even if it is a light snack. This is because your blood sugar levels will drop dramatically, which causes your sleep to be disrupted and broken. The amount of hours you sleep won’t affect how well rested you feel, it is the quality of sleep that determines this. However, this also goes for eating too much before bed as well. Your body will be preoccupied with digesting large quantities of food so, as before, your sleep will not be full and restorative.
You can help this process along by aiming to eat your meal well in advance of your bedtime, so that your body has a chance to start digesting the food before you go to sleep. Junk food and sugary treats are best avoided, as this not only disrupt your sleep but they also increase body fat. If you want to make sure you feel full before bed, you can always opt for a very light snack so that you’re full but not bloated – a couple of tablespoons of a good quality almond butter can do the trick, and provides a good dose of protein. As long as the food is protein-rich and sugar free, it will help you to have a good night’s sleep.
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