Ready for bed, and your stomach starts growling?
The easiest thing to reach for is the cookies, yes? Really, they are right there in front of you. Eat one, or two — even if it feels a little sinful — and crawl under the covers. What could go wrong?
A lot.
But not all hope is lost. While you’ve been told eating before going to bed is wrong, eating a small pre-bedtime snack can help you sleep more soundly without packing on pounds — if you reach for the right foods.
Especially if you tend to eat dinner a few hours before bedtime or you’re very active (or both), snacking before bed will help stabilize your blood sugar levels during the long, meal-less night, Stephanie Maxson, senior clinical dietician at the University of Texas’s MD Anderson Cancer Center, stated in a Time.com article.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Here’s what to stay away from before turning out the lights: chips, cookies, cereal, or any traditional dessert food, Joan Sabate`, a professor of public health and nutrition at Loma Linda University, said in the Time.com article. This is because fiber and other digestion-slowing nutrients are typically stripped away from these foods during their preparation and your body absorbs them quickly — and they tend to cause quick spikes in your blood sugar, which can make it tough for you to sleep.
Now, what’s good:
Complex carbohydrates such as whole wheat bread, non-starchy vegetables (carrots, asparagus, pea pods, bean sprouts), popcorn and fruit. These foods break down slowly, and helps stave off the blood sugar spikes or crashes that could interfere with a person’s sleep or appetite, according to the article.
For athletes, adding protein (such as turkey or chicken) to a bedtime snack can help with muscle repair while providing an essential amino acid called tryptophan, which is beneficial to sleep.
“I don’t see that it would do any harm if it is a small snack,” Hank Williford, department head of kinesiology at Auburn Montgomery, said of athletes. “In some studies, several small meals during the day for athletes is better than large meals. (But) the sugary snacks probably wouldn’t interfere with your sleep. But for people trying to lose weight, it’s probably not the smartest idea.”
Ideally, a person wants to encourage stable blood sugar levels for optimal health, which will be tough to do if they’re going 10 or 12 or 14 hours without eating, which is one reason nutrition experts underscore the importance of eating breakfast, according to the Time.com article.
When choosing a pre-bed treat, choose something filling enough, but also healthy enough so it does not derail your diet, according to a “Healthy Eating” article in SF Gate (San Francisco Chronicle website).
It suggests cottage cheese, which contains protein and will ward off hunger. It offers a steady supply of amino acids through the night, which aid in muscle building and recovery. Adding a tablespoon of natural peanut butter to this can increase digestion time and will help control hunger longer, according to the article.
“A lot of times we tend to eat at night,” said Rachel Laughlin, a registered dietitian in Montgomery. “That’s the time we get to relax and enjoy ourselves. I think the problem with snacking at night is that you’re choosing the wrong food.
“People are choosing their sweets and alcoholic beverages. They are having ‘snack’ foods. I feel like sometimes people want something salty or sweet. Maybe a small amount is OK. If control is an issue for you, then try a low fat yogurt, or a frozen yogurt.”
Laughlin also suggests a low-fat turkey or egg salad sandwich, or oatmeal.
“Something filling and comforting,” she said, “but not super sweet because that will raise your sugar level.”
A sleep-inducing snack is Greek yogurt with honey and a sliced banana, according to the SF Gate. It all contains tryptophan and bananas, which are rich in sleep-promoting potassium, are a good source of carbohydrates.
Other smart nighttime noshes include half a turkey or peanut butter sandwich, according to the SF Gate.
Need more ideas for healthy, sleep-promoting snacks? The Huffington Post offers these:
• Banana and nuts: half of a banana with a handful of your favorite nuts provides tryptophan and carbs.
• Crackers and peanut butter: a few whole wheat crackers and spread on some all-natural peanut butter for a mix of complex carbs and protein with tryptophan.
• A bowl of cereal: the milk contains tryptophan and the whole-grain cereal adds the complementary complex carbs. Just be sure to ditch the Captain Crunch — avoiding sugar helps prevent a sleep-disruptive blood sugar crash during the night.
• Cheese stick: munching on a low-fat cheese stick before bed supplies tryptophan. Plus, a lean protein can leave you calm and less frazzled while keeping your blood sugar on an even keel during the night.
Common non-starchy vegetables
Complex carbohydrates, like those found in non-starchy vegetables break down slowly, and helps stave off the blood sugar spikes or crashes that could interfere with a person’s sleep or appetite, according to the Time.com article. Here’s a few common non-starchy vegetables:
Source: American Diabetes Association
