A popular myth is one of the bedtime snack. Alarm bells ring when someone refers to the stigma of eating one last thing before they head to bed. This is because those snacks are usually a person caving in to sugary cravings like ice cream, or telling themselves they need to soak up that excess alcohol in their system with some late night French fries. However, late night meals do not necessarily have to be harmful, they can actually be a great addition to your nutrient timing to help muscle recovery, increase cortisol extraction from the body, and help you sleep.
Most people have been told that eating late at night will lead to indigestion which, in turn, will lead to interrupted sleep patterns. According to Stephanie Maxson, senior dietician at the University of Texas’ MD Anderson Cancer Center, a decrease in blood sugar after not ingesting food for hours before bed and then sleeping will cause you to wake up in the middle of the night and cause you to feel sluggish in the morning.2 This is primarily due to insulin sensitivity.
John Ivy, PHD in Kinesiology at the University of Texas, has overseen research which has mainly focused on the acute and chronic effects of exercise on metabolism. Currently, “he is focusing on the cause of muscle insulin resistance.”1 In his book, Nutrient Timing, he discusses insulin sensitivity and how keeping it high is key. Insulin’s job is to keep blood sugar levels from rising too high, and when you intake a carbohydrate (i.e.honey), “your body releases insulin to regulate and maintain homeostasis.”1 If insulin’s sensitivity is not kept high due to nutrient intervention then this will affect the body’s ability to uptake amino acids which help build muscle.3 However, John Ivy doesn’t want you to go down a bottle of honey before you go to bed, because that will increase the body’s ability to store fat. John Ivy says that in order to avoid a major insulin spike (remember, we want homeostasis) during the night, you need something that increases sensitivity (carb) but digests slowly as well (protein).3 If this happens, insulin will remain slightly elevated and blood cortisol (stress related fat storing hormone) will be lowered. So what should you eat?
The best thing to eat, according to John Ivy, is to eat a carbohydrate/protein combination that has a 2:1 ratio. You could eat some low fat Greek yogurt with some fruit, or a turkey sandwich. While a protein shake might be simpler to make and easier to ingest, “they tend to have fast-digesting protein and high-glycemic carbohydrates which are absorbed more quickly than whole food.”3 A liquid carb/protein drink might be fully absorbed within thirty to sixty minutes, whereas a solid food snack may take two to three hours to digest,” which is ideal.3
So if you are starving before going to bed or are on an exercise regimen which involves building and keeping muscle while decreasing fat, have a small protein and carbohydrate snack (1:2 ratio) that will increase that insulin sensitivity and not allow it to spike. However, don’t be tempted by those high-glycemic foods like PIZZA! You will be full, for a little while, but a little fatter in the morning with a lot of indigestion interrupting your sleep cycle.
1 Gastelu, D., & Hatfield, F. (2013). Appendix. In Sports Nutrition (Third ed., p. 336).
Carpinteria, CA 93013: International Sports Sciences Association.
2) Heid, M. (2014, July 23). You asked: Will eating before bed make me fat? Retrieved
September 14, 2014, from
3 Ivy, J., & Portman, R. (2004). Nutrient timing: The future of sports nutrition. Laguna Beach,
CA: Basic Health Publications.
This is a very interesting blog, I've never heard anything but to avoid late evening snacks. It does make sense to keep insulin levels on track though. I'll keep this in mind but try to avoid the ice-cream!
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