Eating and sleeping… Related? Absolutely!

You’re on your way to work, feeling upbeat and relaxed that you are making good time. Ahhh… to know that you made it out of the house on time with everything you need and ready for the day. Great feeling!

Suddenly - thump, bump, slump.

What?

Skip the whole thing. Flat tire.

An hour late, anyone? Schedule totally disrupted?

So not fun!

Our body has an internal clock that is chugging along on schedule throughout the day. Wakefulness, sleepiness, mood, hunger, thirst, fatigue, alertness… these states ebb and flow according to our circadian rhythm. Melatonin, too!

Melatonin is that big player for feeling drowsy at the right time and falling asleep easily. Melatonin rises as the night comes… unless we get in the way by EATING.

Anyone ever told you not to eat too late? When we eat late at night, we’re that flat tire that messes up the whole easy morning that we are anticipating. It messes up that flow of melatonin that’s coming in and getting us ready for a calm and restful night’s sleep. 

Why?

When you eat, you signal to your body that it is wakefulness time. Your body listens to the external cues - that it’s mealtime and time to be up and about - which is great at 12pm when you sure need that energy and verve. However, if you tell your body at 10:30 pm Thursday night that it’s a great time to eat a bowl of steaming cholent, it’s going to assume that you’re NOT ready to go to sleep and will signal to the melatonin - “hold off another few hours, she’s not ready just yet to wind down.” 

Yummy? Yes. 

Disrupting the schedule? Also yes!

Moving back - or better yet, cutting out - your snacktime cravings is a significant component of signaling to your body that yes, it’s night time and yes, we want that melatonin to start its flow. Many people experienced improved sleep quality when they stop the late night snacking. 

This sensitivity to eating later does increase with age… if you know, you know 🙂

I usually recommend to stop eating 3-4 hours before bed. Prepare a warm drink if you want something to sip at night, but skip the snacks and dinner leftovers.

For a personalized plan and closer look at how to restore your nightly rhythm, book a free consultation here.

Best,

Esti

Read more about sleep here.