You had your dinner two hours ago and you are going to have your 40 winks soon but your tummy doesn’t call it a day yet. Happens often, doesn’t it? And this lands us to a million dollar quandary – should we sleep with a groaning stomach or succumb to our cravings?
Well, the answer is – yes and no.
Nutritionists and dieticians say that we need to learn how to tame our hunger. One of the many ways to go about this is to ask yourself how hungry you really are. You can even use a scale for a more decisive answer. If the scales are more bent towards hunger as compared to a full tummy, go have something. Otherwise, you will have to be satisfied with a glass of water, or a whole grain cookie, or anything under 250 calories, depending on how hungry you are.
You also need to take into account your day’s calorie consumption and stick to it. If you have already exhausted your day’s calorie limit, try not to have anything besides water or hot tea. If you still have a chunk left from your portion, go for whole grain snacks or whole fiber cereals. A glass of skimmed milk is also a healthy way to beat your late hunger pangs. Stay away from high protein or high fat foods as they take longer to digest and will adversely affect your sleep quality.
But if you are more of a stricter, and believe in not having anything even when your hunger scale is tipping off, you are wrong. If you sleep hungry, your body’s metabolism will have a spring fever and you may end up starving the following day. The hunger pangs may also make it hard for you to fall asleep and you can end up hungrier than before.
So, find what your happy medium is. See what works best for you and never exceed your daily calorie requirement. Make a routine which includes a healthier and less-calorie substitute for your late night noshing.