Weight Loss: Hunger at 2 am
August 10, 2008
Your peaceful slumber is disturbed by some sort of noise and immediately it’s not a prowler you are thinking about; it’s that lasagna you had for dinner. You lay there for a while and the thought of that lasagna keeps running through your head. So, you get up, fix a plate, and fill your belly and head back to bed.
Breaking yourself of the habit of midnight snacking can be difficult to do, but it CAN be done. It’ll take some persistence and patience to achieve your goal. Depending on how severe your cravings are, it can take as little as two weeks, or up to two months to control them.
Some people might call “midnight snacking” a bad habit, but the truth of it is, it’s not a habit at all. Your body is trying to tell you something; it’s telling you to eat more during the day and that you should be getting more calories than what you’ve been taking in. Your body requires a certain amount of calories to sustain your body through the night and if you aren’t getting that, your belly will tell you.
You might want to try to eat more during the day instead of eating three regular meals. This way your stomach feels fuller and you are getting sufficient calories to get you through the night without having to get up and raid the fridge.
Eating a large dinner will delay digestion and hinder your sleep. Eating a high-carb snack at bedtime, such as fruit or crackers, can help you sleep better and keep your stomach at rest until morning.
You might think having a glass of wine or a shot of whiskey before bed will help you relax, but the fact is alcohol will make you hungrier and put added calories into your system that you don’t need. A glass of warm milk is much better because it is relaxing and makes your stomach feel full.
Don’t drink beverages with a high amount of caffeine. These can hamper a good night’s sleep. If you wake up in the middle of the night and your stomach needs a little something, try drinking water instead.
You shouldn’t lay in bed wide awake and just toss and turn, so, try getting up and reading, or listen to some soothing music. Wait until you feel sleepy to get back into bed. You have to work at this routine to keep yourself from falling back into the midnight snack desire. It will take time, but if you stick to it, you’ll see great results in no time.
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