Why is Eating before bed bad for digestion?

A lot of people associate late-night eating with weight gain but there’s no evidence that a small, healthy snack before bed leads to weight gain.

However, this habit can still create health problems.

Eating dinner within three hours of bedtime is positively linked with a risk of developing acid reflux symptoms, heartburn, indigestion, coughing, hoarseness, and asthma.

Proper digestion is critical for absorbing the nutrients in what we eat. If we eat late, we may consume enough calories but still, have a micronutrient deficiency.

It is very common to snack at night while watching TV or working on laptops, and it’s no surprise that these habits might lead to weight gain.

Late nights, when people are tired, tend to make poor food choices and look for ‘happy food’ such as ice cream, pie, or chips that are loaded with calories.

Stress and late dinner go hand in hand. Research has also found that those who experience stress tend to see a rise in ghrelin — the hunger hormone — in the evening which may prompt them to overeat.

Late-night food is mostly the ‘extra meal’ and that means extra calories.

We have been categorizing food as good and bad ignoring the fact that ‘when’ is as important as ‘what.’ The timing will decide how our stomach will process it and its overall impact on our health.