Dinner was hours ago, and really, you should be heading for bed soon, but the TV is on and you could just do with a teeny tiny little snack right about now…
And suddenly that cold pizza slice from yesterday is starting to look really good…
Guilty? So many of us are.
The thing is, according to new research, your midnight munchies habit can actually have some pretty surprisingly negative physical and mental effects.
1. You are more likely to overeat
People who midnight munch don’t experience the same “food high” we get when we eat earlier in the day — and that high contributes to a feeling of fullness, regulating the number of calories consumed, according to a study by Brigham Young University. Without that feeling of reward, the tendency is to eat more food. (And let’s face it, if it’s midnight, we’re more likely to be reaching for ice lollies or crisps rather than broccoli.)
2. It messes with your memory
Eating when you are supposed to be sleeping can actually muddle with your ability to remember things accurately the next day, according to researchers at the Semel Institute at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Researchers think this is because of your body’s circadian clock, which is affected by day to night changes. ”Try to match your light exposure and food consumption periods,” suggests study author Dawn Loh.
3. ..And your concentration
Late-night snacking, especially if you’re sleep deprived, slows mental reaction times and attention, according to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Interestingly, study subjects who fasted while being limited to just four hours of sleep per night “did not show… performance decline.” But – and this is worrying – sleep-deprived subjects who snacked away “showed significantly slower reaction times and more attention lapses.”
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