How to Stop Your Late-Night Food Binges

On the surface, most people claim to eat largely the same way. We have breakfast, lunch, and dinner… with a snack or two thrown in.

And, if we’re lucky, we treat ourselves to dessert once the dinner mess has been cleaned up.

But many, many people have a secret. And that secret is late-night eating.

There are several reasons you might find yourself in the kitchen at 3 AM, but they always have the same result. As satisfying as those late-night trips to the kitchen can be at the time, they usually add up to lost sleep and extra calories.

To really kick the late-night snacking habit, you’ll need to pinpoint the reasons you snack so late. Once you have that information, it will be much easier to control when you eat!

Here are a few simple ways to stop your late-night food binges:

1. Stop Sugar Cravings

Maybe you make your way to the fridge at midnight because you cannot get the idea of a sweet treat out of your head. A little ice cream… some cookies… or even a large glass of soda might seem harmless.

But eating all of that sugar at night can lead to some nasty issues.

If you know you’re going to crave sugar later in the day, head off the problem early. Make a concrete plan to have dessert an hour or two after dinner, but well before you go to bed.

Once you’re used to this routine, your body will know it’s getting the sugar it wants and your midnight cravings won’t be so bad.

As an added bonus, you can opt for no-guilt desserts that will satisfy your sweet cravings without ruining your healthy diet. Frozen chocolate-covered bananas, for example, are a fiber-rich treat that you can dress up just about any way you want.

If you have a little more time, you can opt for some homemade high-protein ice cream. It satisfies your sweet tooth and helps keep you full with the added protein!

2. Beat Hunger Pangs

If your nighttime snacks are more likely to be leftovers than sweet treats, your problem isn’t a sugar craving. Your biggest problem is likely that you’re not eating enough at dinner. And while this might seem odd, it could be for a number of reasons.

You might not be getting the nutrients you need from your dinner. If your meals tend to skimp on the vegetables or proteins, and instead rely mostly on starch, your body isn’t getting the trace elements it needs to function.

Of course, a well-rounded meal will only do so much. If you’re not taking in enough food, healthy or not, you will find yourself binging later on.

Keeping your serving sizes small at dinner might feel good, but you’re not doing yourself any favors if you just eat another serving later rather than eating enough the first time.

Focus on eating a healthy serving of a balanced meal at dinnertime to ease late-night hunger and avoid those midnight binges.

3. Conquer Insomnia

A large number of people find themselves in the kitchen at midnight for the simple reason that they can’t sleep. And rather than toss or turn, they head out for a midnight snack.

If this reason sounds most like you, your biggest problem is not the food you’re snacking on. It’s insomnia itself.

Roughly 30% of people report issues with their sleep schedules that count as insomnia. And while it might seem that exhaustion is the worst thing you’ll be dealing with, bad sleep actually has far-reaching consequences.

Insomnia treatments come in many forms. Some people find that installing a blue light filter on their phone and turning off all screens about an hour before bed helps. Others have to establish a specific bedtime routine so their brain will wind down.

These adjustments aren’t always enough, however. And if you’ve already tried them but still find yourself lying awake at night, it is time to seek professional help.

Once you’ve begun your insomnia treatment, you shouldn’t find yourself in your kitchen in the middle of the night anymore. You’ll be too busy snoozing away!

The Takeaway

If any of the above reasons for late-night eating sound familiar, you’re already on your way to breaking your late-night binge habit. There will be progress and setbacks, as there are when you want to change any habit.

But eventually, you will find yourself skipping your once regular trips to the nighttime kitchen.

As with changing any habit, make sure you are patient with yourself. Many of us want to break our bad habits right away, but it takes time. When you find yourself in front of the fridge at 3 AM again, the last thing you want to do is berate yourself.

Instead, put down whatever you’re eating, brush your teeth, and head back to bed. Remind yourself that tomorrow is another chance to do it right. Even a slip-up doesn’t change the fact that you’re on your way to banishing that bad habit for good.