The city falls asleep, and you suddenly wake up... with a desire to eat. Sometimes dinner went fine, but at night the pull to the fridge is stronger than usual. One or two episodes are not a cause for panic, but if the beastly appetite returns every night, it’s worth figuring out how to deal with it.
Dietitian Alina Prudovskaya explains: this phenomenon is called "night eating syndrome" (NES). It is not just a simple habit of snacking in a warm bed, but a real disruption in the body and sleep pattern. With NES, a person may wake up specifically for food, and often it is impossible to fall back asleep without a snack. Usually, night eating syndrome affects women with excess weight, and this behavior may be linked to hormonal fluctuations — for example, the levels of leptin and ghrelin, which regulate feelings of satiety and hunger, are disrupted. Sometimes, nighttime awakenings for food are also associated with underlying emotional difficulties: prolonged depression, anxiety, obsessive thoughts.
Why "Nighttime Cravings" Are Dangerous
Late-night heavy snacking is not just extra calories. During sleep, the digestive system slows down along with biological rhythms, leading to heaviness in the stomach, discomfort, and bowel disturbances. Regular nighttime awakenings at the "call of the fridge" become a persistent habit that over time worsens sleep quality and increases stress hormone levels. As a result, a person begins to sleep poorly, feels tired during the day, and loses concentration.
6 Ways to Reduce Nighttime Appetite
1. Check Your Health
The first thing the expert recommends is to get hormone tests and consult an endocrinologist. If there are no serious disorders, you can move on to practical steps to correct your eating habits.
2. Regulate Your Daytime Nutrition
Analyze your diet: perhaps you spend the day on just breakfast or skip meals altogether. This inevitably creates strong hunger by evening. Ideally, there should be three main meals during the day — breakfast, lunch, and dinner — and two healthy snacks. Dinner should be planned so that it is not too early. A small healthy snack a couple of hours after dinner also helps to satisfy nighttime hunger.
3. Avoid Sweets at Night
Sweet foods raise glucose levels, stimulate the nervous system, and delay sleep, making it seem like you want to eat more. Avoid cake, chocolate, or sweet drinks in the evening — this reduces the urge for additional nighttime snacks.
4. Manage Hunger Properly
When appetite awakens, try drinking a glass of water or green tea, eating a vegetable salad or fruit, natural yogurt, or a light smoothie. Often, this is enough to calm the body and return to sleep without overeating.
5. Use Aromatherapy
Some scents can reduce appetite and calm the nervous system. Try citrus, mint, vanilla, or cinnamon aromas — you can add a few drops of essential oil to a lamp or on a cotton pad near the bed.
6. Combat Stress
Often, nighttime overeating is a reaction to stress or emotional tension. Instead of food, try meditation, yoga, walks, a warm bath, or talking to a friend — these methods help to relax much more effectively.
If the nighttime beastly appetite becomes a regular problem, do not hesitate to discuss it with a doctor or a qualified nutrition specialist — in some cases, this may be a sign of deeper behavioral or metabolic dysregulation.
Leave a comment