Wellness Habit: Eat Final Meal 3-4 Hours Before Bed

Last week I embarked on a journey to develop a good habit for wellness, eating no less than 3 or 4 hours before bed.  This may not be hard for some people, but for someone who regularly works until 8 or 9 p.m., it is a HUGE challenge.  Many personal trainers claim eating too close to bedtime deters weight loss efforts and I think they may be on to something.  Here are all of the benefits you can have when you stop eating right before bed:

Lose Weight

It may simply be because the later it is in the evening, the more likely it is that you’re reaching for ice cream or potato chips, but striving to stop eating 3-4 hours before bedtime has proven to be an effective way to lose weight.  If you eat junk all day but stop at the right time before bed, don’t expect results, but as part of a healthy diet and weight loss program, cutting out eating close to bed can help you reach your goal.

Get Better Sleep

Gas, indigestion, uncomfortable full feeling in your belly; all of those can seriously impede your ability to fall asleep and stay resting through the night.  Also, eating at night may also upset your body’s natural day/night cycle, impairing your sleep cycle and causing you to have trouble managing your blood sugar levels. These food-induced sleep disruptions could even lead to insulin resistance and diabetes. Try eating lighter at dinner and giving yourself at least 3 hours between your meal and hittin’ the hay to see if your sleep improves.

Feel Fresh in the Morning

There may not be any scientific reasoning, but when you go to bed with a full stomach you’re going to feel it in the morning.  Waking up feeling heavy and lethargic is not the best way to start your day and it can be hard to get a fresh start when you’re still feeling the effects of what you ate last night.  You may not think what you’re eating at 9:00 p.m. today will make a difference in how your day goes tomorrow, but it will; eat accordingly.

I must admit, it was very challenging for me to enforce this habit for myself for a week.  I often work until 8 or 9 at night and go to bed by 11 to get up at 5 a.m. That kind of schedule makes dinner time obsolete but on the days that I was able to eat earlier and give myself a nice break before going to bed, I really did feel lighter and more energized the next day.  I will continue to eat as far away from bed time as possible but when reality sets in, or I just get too hungry, I’ll make sure to reach for a light and healthy snack to avoid the heaviness and discomfort of eating late.