I have to eat 1/3 of my calories before bed or I can't sleep..

A

a1235

New member
I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar experience or any advice regarding an issue I've been dealing with for YEARS now. Long story short, I consume approximately 500 of my 1500 calories a day within an hour of going to sleep. I've found that unless I do this, I have trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep, etc. It kind of sucks. I am a light sleeper to start and apparently being even mildly hungry throws me off enough to result in a horrible next day. This issue bugs me for a few reasons... 1. It's super annoying when traveling or whenever life can't be carefully planned because I have to figure out how to get a bunch of snacks in right before bed in order to not freak out about how I'll sleep; 2. I basically have to skip breakfast and then eat a very light lunch, dinner, snacks throughout the rest of the day until my pre bed snack bender in order to avoid gaining weight; 3. I constantly worry that eating 500 calories before bed is making it harder for me to keep weight off and that I might be able to consume more calories generally if I wasn't eating so much before bed.

A few things that might be worth mentioning... I eat really clean, including the pre bed snacking. It usually consists of some combination of hard boiled eggs, vegan yogurt (I have dairy issues), seedy whole grain bread, clif or kind bars, banana or veggie burgers. I try to balance the macros for optimal sleep. The rest of my day is vegetables and lean meats with fruit/nuts thrown in for snacking. I work out between 6pm and 7pm most nights of the week and do around 45 minutes of cardio and bodyweight work. The rest of my day I'm at a sedentary desk job.

So, I guess the question is, is this a problem? I keep hearing more and more stuff about breakfast being overrated and the timing of calories not being an issue generally but the whole thing just bugs me for all the reasons mentioned above. It's so inflexible! But of course, not sleeping is not an option and I loathe having to choose between the two. I've tried eating breakfast as well as just eating a bigger dinner to no avail. Just wondering if I'm totally alone with this one or if anyone has a similar experience and some solutions to share. Thanks a lot in advance!
 
@a1235 Try a little apple cider vinegar in a pint of water before bed. ACV has pectin in it, which will help keep you full.

The taste is a little strong, but I find I don't need more than 1 or 2 tsp in a pint of water.
 
@a1235 Does anyone else wake up in the night every night, and if you dont eat you cant sleep more??

I moved a lot of my calories to the evening, but it hasnt really helped. I tried moving them to the mirning, dinner etc, literally so many ways but nothing fixes it.
 
@tomvalois This used to happen to me frequently. Unless I had a reason to be hungry (i.e. didn't eat my cals late enough like I described above), I found that it was mostly mental and if I had a small cup of almond milk or a few pieces of fruit, I was usually able to trick my brain back to sleep without sabotaging my diet. Are you actually hungry? Otherwise it sounds like your brain playing tricks on you like mine has, that you NEED to eat in order to sleep regardless of actual hunger. If you're actually hungry I would say the same advice everyone gave for my OP applies to you as well.
 
@a1235 I am literally never actually hungry. My body doesnt give hunger signals until i dont eat for days. Im in recovery from anorexia bp subtype, and need to eat about the right amount whether im "hungry" or not. So asking if im hungry is awkward. Im NOT hungry. But there have been 10-15 times i've not eaten, and been up the rest of the night or 2-3 more hours.... i just kindof gave up and adjusted things so my cals fit there now.

At first id be so anxious about what id eat in the night bc i was hitting almost my cals in the daytime.

So then, I used to keep like, a few bites of each meal for when i'd wake up at night. They were already counted.
I also tried having it be my breakfast if i DONT eat whatever thing overnight, but its basically everynight. Its still way better than when i had anorexia though, id wake up and go binge and purge in tbe night every night at least once. So i mean the sleep problems has been years and years...

It's almost like youre saying i dont deserve to eat unless im hungry. But if i dont eat til im hungry, i get really sick.
 
@tomvalois I did not say you "don't deserve to eat" in any capacity. Obviously I wasn't aware of the details of your situation prior to this reply. I was only speaking to my own experience waking up, sometimes hungry, sometimes not, and my brain deciding that eating something was the only way to get back to sleep in a Pavlovian manner. If that doesn't apply to your situation then feel free to disregard. I started this post on the premise of not being able to sleep due to night time hunger, so I assumed that was what you were referring to in your original comment.
 
@a1235 Sorry, i know i overreacted, i just... my brain is still fucked up.

I dont even know if it is hunger or not. I just know i cant sleep through. The 1 night this year i slept solid was after i'd had food poisoning nd my stomach/intestines was empty.... so i dunno, kinda makes me think it's NOT hunger. But then why does eating make me sleep? Whatever, its unsolvable

Im sorry im just rambling
 
@tomvalois No need to apologize. I just wanted to be clear that I was not food/hunger shaming you in ANY way.

I'm sorry you're going through this. I've dealt with severe insomnia in the past (slept 2-3 hours every night for the entirety of 2012, almost completely lost my mind) so I can massively sympathize with you. And clearly food/hunger is intimately tied with sleep for me too. It's complicated, frustrating, and you're not alone! Just keep experimenting and don't give up. 5 years later I am finally sleeping more like a normal person and it took a lot of trial and error to get here. And I'm still figuring some stuff out, hence this post. Right now ASMR videos, melatonin and a clif bar right before bed puts me OUT. Who knows what it will be next year. I hope you start feeling better soon!
 
@tomvalois You should probably talk to a doctor about that. It could be a psychological thing or some sort of sleep disorder or some other physical issue causing the waking and hunger.
 
@vrl Ive talked to doctors- - I had anorexia; they told me it would go away when i was weight-restored. It didnt. Sleep study shows nothing except elevated central apneas during REM only. Ive been rxed 5+ sleep meds, which i was hesitant to try and never wanted to try but i was pushed into trying by doctors, but theyre ineffective even benzos at keeping me asleep. At a high enough dose that i sleep, i also sleep the entire next day - not useful.

I also have chronic pain from overexercise injuries, and they are each alleviated by sleep in a different position. Like ive literally had two different specialists tell me i must sleep in two different positions, to avoid pain. Well i cant be in both positions at once obviously, idk how much a factor that is. When i was in physical therapy, with traction, it helped me sleep more uninterruptedly, but af5er back PT ended, my sleep gradually broke up again after a month or so. PT fixed my muscle atrophy and it stays fixed with maintenance exercises, but the traction was helping my sleep maybe becayse i cant replicate that. My shoulders still being dxed and treated, its on like its 3rd diagnosis :/

Im diagnosed with idiopathic insomnia, i think thats a sleep condition but not a disorder.

Dictors arent really a fix. I wish it was!
 
@tomvalois Fellow recovered anorexic with messed up sleeping and continuous hunger/ridiculous metabolism issues. Been prescribed some hardcore sleeping mess in the past, but have recently enjoyed a better sleep after cutting all caffiene and taking ZMA before bed. Might be worth a shot.
 
@tomvalois I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you can figure out something that helps you manage this. I'm not sure that any of us can give advice on something that even specialists can't fix.
 
@a1235 I don't think this is necessarily a problem if it's okay with you and you've been able to accommodate it. However it sounds like you're a bit frustrated with the situation and I can't help but wonder if part of this is some sleep-related anxiety. I know that when I get it in my head that "I won't get a good night's sleep unless I do X" it can make it that much harder to actually sleep. For me, as soon as I miss my bedtime I start to get this anxious spiral that prevents me from falling asleep...so I've gone from getting 10min less sleep from missing bedtime to laying awake for hours stressing about how I can't sleep. It's possible your food situation is similar - you've convinced yourself you need that food, so if you don't have it you have convinced yourself you'll sleep poorly...and self-fulfilling prophecy.

If you want to try to fix it, maybe ease back on the calories you're consuming before bed overtime and eat something that has more volume rather than being calorie dense so you feel full without consuming many calories. Also, consider incorporating meditation into your bedtime ritual (I'm a big fan of the Budhify app for their going to sleep meditations). That might help calm your mind so you don't get caught up in a stress spiral over food when you're trying to sleep.
 
@foley33 This is a really good point because I do the exact same thing you do in response to "sleep anxiety." The funny thing is I've been sleeping GREAT lately which is what prompted this post. Like I mentioned in some of my previous replies, I've been thinking about losing a couple pounds for my upcoming wedding and decided to try to stop eating around 8 pm this week to see if it would help kick start things. I immediately started sleeping horribly with no other variables changed. I'm waking up multiple times at night and then super early feeling completely starving. So, I'm pretty convinced this is my body talking and not my brain, and I feel a lot better after receiving all this feedback that it isn't a problem and isn't uncommon, apparently. I'll be going back to my 9:30 pm snacks tonight and hoping to be sound asleep again by 10:00!
 
@a1235 You gotta do what works for you, BUT how soon before bed are we talking here? I mean, are you literally eating then going to bed (NOT good)? Or are we talking about having a snack at 7pm and then going to bed at 9pm (not really a problem because you're giving your stomach time to empty)? in other words, how much time is there between when you finish your snack and when you LAY DOWN in bed? The reason I ask is because there's a few reasons not to eat right before bed (or rather, laying down): #1 is that you are putting yourself at risk for developing GERD, because that food is putting pressure on the valve that separates your esophagus from your stomach, and that sphincter normally prevents any backflow. If you put enough stress on that sphincter over time (which can be accomplished by eating then laying down) it will become weak, allowing any stomach contents and stomach acid to leak into your throat - so chronic heartburn whenever you lay down. Imagine trying to sleep when your chest is on fire. People with GERD are resigned to sleeping with their head elevated and taking medications to prevent getting heartburn every time they sleep. There is also a higher risk of esophageal cancer, because of the fact that those cells are being exposed to stomach acid all the time and it is very damaging. GERD is pretty common and you don't want it.

second point addresses the "dont eat before bed or you will gain weight" - I suspect this "rule" is perpetuated only because it is true that MOST people do NOT need to eat before bed. Yeah, when you get your calories throughout the day pretty much doesn't matter in terms of weight gain/loss. However, the prevalence of obesity in the US right now is so high that it is a good "rule of thumb" to not eat before bed, simply because the overwhelming majority of people absolutely don't need the extra calories and have already surpassed their daily needs.

anyway, i suggest you talk to your doctor about this. You mention having "metabolism issues" - if you really think you have a metabolic problem, that is something you should be speaking to your doctor about. Most people don't have hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism or other metabolic disorders, but if you think you do you should be managing it the right way with your doctor instead of self-treating something that may or may not exist. You should also be talking about your sleep problems. As someone with a sleep disorder who waited way longer than I should have to get some professional help, I promise you it is worthwhile. There may be some underlying cause as to why you aren't sleeping well that goes beyond food.
 
@woman2blame Thanks for your thoughts! I've never noticed any acid reflux issues at bed time related to the timing of my meals unless there is alcohol involved, which isn't an issue most of the time. So unless I'm completely unaware of the symptoms somehow, I don't think this has come up (pun intended). In response to the point about metabolism, my thyroid is fine based on recent bloodwork. I just have a big appetite and a lower BMR than I'd like, and have fought to keep weight off since I was a child. 1500 calories seems to work for me, my concern is mostly about the timing (which everyone seems to have debunked as not being a "problem" in the first place). Final point - I've struggled with insomnia since my early 20s and have seen a number of specialists. Turns out I'm just a light sleeper with some anxiety, and being hungry is one of many things that can keep me awake. I'm actually sleeping better than ever lately, assuming I'm well fed :)
 
@a1235 GERD is something that can take MANY years to develop so it's not something you're likely to experience quickly, and if you are young it's probably not something you'd have to deal with anytime soon. It's just that you're putting yourself at risk for developing this (if you are literally eating very soon before bed, rather than giving yourself at least 2 hrs before laying down) later in life (probably not until you are upper middle aged). It's a pretty miserable condition to have and if you do develop it, it's going to make getting to sleep and staying asleep a whole lot more difficult. Just worth thinking about - if you can have your night time snack an hour and some change earlier than normal (if you're eating right before bed - you haven't really specified so i am assuming) so you can have a good 2 hr before you lay down, you would pretty much solve that problem by eliminating the risk.
 
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