The problem with being young and trying to find somewhere to eat, is that there are not very many places that are open as late as you want to eat. For the most part you’ve got fast food restaurants and the 24 hour diners. At least that makes your choice easy if you are trying to decide where to eat; your options are limited after about nine or 10 o’clock at night. The truth is, you probably should not be eating that late anyway. Especially things like chicken wings and fast food. Here are a few of the things that happen to your body when you eat past a certain hour.
Weight Gain
It’s long since been a controversial issue: does eating late actually affect weight loss? The answer is yes. Have you ever noticed that you weigh more at night time than you do when you get up in the morning? The reason for this is that in the morning you have just finished a long period of resting without getting any food or water. This means that your morning weight is your true weight because that’s when all of your food has been digested and the systems in your body have rested. During the day, when you are eating, you are probably fairly active, even if it’s just walking about, going about your day. At night, while you are sleeping, your metabolism slows down because you are not active. If you feel like you really have to eat within two hours of going to bed then you should stick to fruits and vegetables. Definitely avoid heavy things like fast foods. If your friends all want to eat out, opt for a small side salad in order to keep your metabolism functioning properly.
Bathroom Runs
It stands to reason that in the following hours after a big meal, you are going to need to use the restroom. If you end up at an exotic place like Latin restaurants where you aren’t used to the food, your stomach might not react well. If it does and you are eating food that you are familiar with like fast food joints, you’ll still need to go to the restroom at some point to purge. This means that you could be fast asleep and all of a sudden, your body will wake you up to eliminate waste products. If you insist on eating later, foods with a high amount of fiber take longer to digest; usually around eight hours so hopefully that won’t be in the middle of night. Drinking a lot will make you need to get up a lot to urinate so try and make sure you have gotten the necessary amount of liquid, particularly water, a couple of hours before you need to go to bed.
Sleep Cycle Intrusions
Another reason why you don’t really want to be eating late at night anyway is because it can have an adverse affect on your sleep cycle. Studies have shown the digestive system does not work with with your sleep necessities. You’ll probably have a pretty hard time going to sleep at all and then once you finally do go to sleep, you’ll be more likely to wake up a lot more often. Sugary foods in particular will make it difficult to go to sleep. If you aren’t planning on going to bed anytime soon when you are out to eat, then this might not be that big of a deal but keep in mind that your digestive system continues to work for about six to eight hours depending on what you eat. This why you don’t want to eat very much, if anything at all. The more you eat, the longer it will take. The beginning stages of the digestive process are the worst as far as interrupting your sleep goes.
If your friends are going out to eat late at night, try suggesting somewhere where you now you can eat something light and healthy or maybe you just should forego going out that evening. You might feel like you’re missing out but you’ll be glad when you wake feeling rested.
