10 Smart Ways to Stop Eating Late at Night

Many people find themselves eating late at night even when they are full. Eating at night causes you to consume more calories than you need and therefore gain weight. This condition may be called night eating syndrome and binge eating syndrome. It may negatively affect your health.

What can you do to stop eating at night?

1. Identify the Cause

Night eating may result from severely restricted food intake during the day. Not eating enough during the day leads to intense hunger at night. It may also arise from habit or boredom/stress.

People use eating to block emotional states such as disappointment, anger and sadness, and often eat even when they are not hungry. Binge eaters tend to consume a great deal in one sitting and lose control while eating. Night eaters, on the other hand, tend to wake during the night because they consume approximately % 25 of their daily calories at night. Both conditions have been associated with obesity, depression and sleep problems. Identifying the cause will help solve the problem.

2. Recognize Your Triggers

Besides identifying the general cause of your overeating, you may find it useful to identify the activity that triggers eating. People eat for many reasons. If you are not hungry but still find yourself eating, consider what is causing this. You will usually find that you are using food to meet a need other than hunger .

The best way to identify the cause of night eating is to keep a food and mood diary.

Tracking your eating and exercise habits alongside your emotions will help break any cycle of negative behavior.

3. Try Establishing a Routine

If you overeat at night, establishing a routine for eating during the day may help. This will leave you less hungry at night.

When starting this, quality sleepis very important for food intake and weight management. Lack of sleep has been associated with higher calorie intake and poorer diet quality. Chronic sleep disturbance may increase your risk of obesity and related diseases.

Setting times for eating and sleeping will help you separate these two activities.

4. Create a Meal Plan

Plan your meals and eat healthy snacks. This gives you a chance to eat less and reduces unhealthy choices.

Having a meal plan may also reduce worries about how much you are eating and help you spread food intake throughout the day.

5. Seek Emotional Support

If you think you have night eating syndrome or binge eating syndrome, you may wish to seek professional help. A dietitian can help you create a meal plan and identify triggers.

- Related topic: FOOD ADDICTION symptoms, diagnosis and treatment in 8 steps

6. Relieve Stress

Anxiety and stress are two of the most common reasons people eat when they are not hungry. However, using food to curb emotional cravings is a bad idea. Find another way to let go of negative emotions and relax.

Relaxation exercises you may find useful include breathing exercises, meditation, warm baths, yoga, gentle exercise and stretching.

7. Eat Regularly Throughout the Day

Eating regularly throughout the day in accordance with a "normal" eating pattern helps keep blood sugar balanced. It reduces symptoms such as fatigue and restlessness that are perceived as signs of intense hunger.

When you are truly hungry, you are at high risk of turning to high-fat foods and junk food. Research has shown that those with regular food intake (3 times a day) have appetite control and a lower body weight.

Generally speaking, eating 3 times a day or less is thought to reduce the ability to control appetite and food choices.

However, it is important to note that findings on this subject are mixed. Eating frequency and the amount of food consumed therefore vary from person to person.

8. Include Protein in Every Meal

Different foods may affect appetite differently. If you eat because of hunger, you can control your eating by including protein in every meal. One study found that frequent protein intake reduced the desire to eat by % 60 and halved night eating.

9. Do Not Keep Junk Food at Home

If you are highly prone to eating junk food at night, remove those foods from the house. Fill your home with healthy foods you enjoy. Choose low-calorie foods. These may include vegetables, yogurt, milk and cheese.

10. Distract Yourself

For some, distraction means doing favorite activities; for others, doing things they have never done. There are many ways to distract yourself according to personal preference. If you are preoccupied with eating because you are bored, find other things you enjoy doing in the evening. Finding a new hobby or planning evening activities may help prevent midnight snacking.

Night eating has been associated with unnecessary calorie intake, obesity and poor health. If you want to break the habit of eating at night, you can follow the steps above.