Night eating can be exhausting and disruptive to your night’s sleep 💤. It is usually a sign that something is off in your eating patterns, mood, sleep, or all of the above. If you are struggling with night eating, there are a couple of areas to explore:
Often, we see people skipping meals, snacks, not meeting their energy needs throughout the day, training hard but not eating enough (or omitting food groups) or #dieting - and this all catches up with them. The body is smart, needs food, and will do what it can to get it - even it means waking you at night! People will find themselves dreaming 😴 of food. “FEED ME” the body is quite literally demanding. Eating more regularly and adding more to meals is usually part of the answer. If you are struggling with this, check out Chapter 3 in our latest book, “How to Nourish Yourself Through an Eating Disorder.” Here we take you through a baseline nutrition assessment to understand what, if anything, might be missing from your diet. From there, we help you strategize how to make these changes and overcome any obstacles getting in your way. You don’t need to have a diagnosed #eatingdisorder to find this guidance helpful.
Disrupted #sleep is another big reason for #nighteating. This can be due to #jetlag, #hormones (#menopause), #caffeine #alcohol #substanceuse #stress, #screens #bluelight (which suppresses your melatonin levels), noise, pets and more. Sleep is also disrupted from #anxiety, #depression, and other co-occurring mood disorders. Working with a psychologist, psychiatrist, and/or a sleep expert is key. Medications may be needed, light therapy and meditation can be helpful. Plus it’s important to establish a screen-free sleep routine.
