Facts about late-night binging

• Emotional eating is one of the added factors which leads to poor food choices. People opt for unhealthy snacks because of anxiety, stress, sadness and boredom.

• If you are tired and sleep-deprived, it affects your hormones that influence your appetite and you tend to have an increased food intake. If you get hungry after dinner, opt for nutrient-dense foods which are low in calories and have high nutrition content like an apple with peanut butter or carrot with hummus, popcorn, grapes, etc.

• Eating at night is often not recommended because it goes against our circadian rhythm that is the 24-hour cycle of our body which tells us when to sleep, wake and eat. According to it, the night is for resting and not eating.

• A person who eats late at night tends to consume extra calories which lead to weight gain over time. So weight gain is related to the total number of calories and not what time you consume it.

• Your cravings and appetite can be managed by eating more calories for breakfast and then follow it by eating frequent and small meals throughout the day. This kind of eating keeps you full for longer and prevents the overeating at night.

• When you have a meal plan, it reduces the chances of making poor food choices and impulsive eating. With a meal plan, your food intake is equally distributed and this also helps to keep hunger at bay. Those who eat late at night opt for calorie-dense foods that have very little nutritional value and are mostly unhealthy foods like soda, ice creams, chips, etc.

• Structuring you’re sleeping and eating time helps you spread your meals over the day and make you feel less hungry at night. Lack of sleep is linked to increased calorie intake and obesity. A fixed routine can help you break this cycle of unhealthy behaviour.