The Takeaway Many people reach for late-night snacks before bedtime, especially because hunger tends to increase when you’re tired. Snacks like ice cream, chocolate, and potato chips aren’t good options before bed because they’re often high in sugar and saturated fats, which can disrupt sleep. If you’re hungry before bed, opt for healthier options like yogurt, tart cherries, or nuts, as these are lower in calories and help induce sleep hormones like melatonin and tryptophan.
Worst: Ice Cream Traditional ice cream is high in saturated fats and added sugars, which can trigger cravings that lead to overeating, according to Jonathan Valdez, RDN, CDCES , the owner of Genki Nutrition in New York City. Plus, “the amount of sugar in ice cream increases blood sugar and makes it more difficult to get to sleep and stay asleep,” Kirkpatrick says.
Best: Roasted Chickpeas Roasted chickpeas are a nutrient-dense, low-calorie snack that’s high in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, Valdez says. This makes them a healthier alternative to salty snacks like potato chips. Plus, they help control blood sugar, which is crucial for sleep quality.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629339e1159-d027-4d09-a35b-8abcf8f6adb5
Best: Tart Cherries and Juice Tart cherries contain melatonin, a key hormone for regulating sleep.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629fd75d7fe-aba7-4463-8b1e-9009e3ba29ab Eating fresh tart cherries or juice increases the level of melatonin in the body, which helps you get to sleep a little easier, according to Kirkpatrick. While studies on the effect of tart cherries on sleep are still ongoing, early research suggests that tart cherries may improve sleep quality, increase sleep duration, boost melatonin levels, and decrease inflammation.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976296793f584-26d0-4d00-a09c-76102daea5fe If you choose to go the tart cherry juice route, skip fruit juice concentrates, as these typically contain added sugar.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c592afc3-8fd0-4c38-a093-b75aba7c109d When choosing a juice, opt for one that’s labeled 100 percent fruit juice; it will contain more nutrients and fewer additives than a sweetened fruit juice or a juice concentrate. But beware that even 100 percent fruit juice is usually quite high in sugar.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629474b6cfa-03b7-450a-a737-a922f080c0bf If you find cherry juice too tart, try diluting it to taste with water or plain seltzer.
Who doesn’t love putting up their feet and tucking into a bowl of popcorn or ice cream at the end of a long day? While the occasional bedtime snack is fine, capping off every day with sweet or salty fare may spell trouble. “Snacking later into the night increases the chance of weight gain, obesity , and cardiometabolic diseases,” says Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD , a dietitian and author of Skinny Liver: A Proven Program to Prevent and Reverse the New Silent Epidemic — Fatty Liver Disease . Many of us are more likely to reach for less-than-healthy foods in the evening, and you can blame your body’s built-in survival mechanisms for this. Research has shown that our circadian rhythms (the body’s internal processes that follow a 24-hour cycle) raise our hunger and cravings for sweet, salty, and carbohydrate -heavy foods when we’re tired — which tends to be at nighttime after a long day, for most of us.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c12ea1ba-c406-4812-917a-d845dd5b3680 The downside of late-night cravings is that they can add unnecessary calories that lead to significant weight gain if left unchecked. Research explains that late-night eating could throw off our internal clocks and may be associated with higher total caloric intake and body mass index (BMI).e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976294d26c814-bf6e-42ba-a612-76c12d34ecaa “To offset these innate cravings, I have found that your first defense should be drinking a glass of water or [caffeine-free] tea, rather than heading to the snack pantry,” Kirkpatrick says. Ideally, you’ll stop eating two to three hours before going to bed. If you’re actually hungry and you need a snack to dip into slumber, chances are you’re not eating enough during the day, Kirkpatrick explains. Still, if you do need to eat, or you crave a quick bite before bed, “it is important to choose a small, low-calorie, nutrient-dense snack at this time of the day,” Kirkpatrick says. In fact, some snacks contain nutrients that may relax your body, helping you fall and stay asleep. Read on to discover the best bedtime snacks, as well as the snacks to avoid before getting some sleep. default Fried foods, nuts, and fruit: Which options are smart to eat in the evening and at night?
Best: Yogurt Dairy foods like yogurt contain melatonin, which improves sleep efficiency and reduces the number of episodes of awakening, Valdez says. Yogurt is rich in calcium , a bone-building mineral that also plays a role in processing hormones (like tryptophan and melatonin) that help you sleep.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762915e0138b-1167-4940-9876-8a9c99d97638 Just make sure you select plain, unsweetened yogurt, to which you can add fresh fruit, vanilla extract, or cinnamon.
Worst: Fried Food Fried foods like chicken strips and french fries are high in fat, and fat takes longer to digest than carbs and protein. This is a bad idea when it comes to bedtime snacks. “Ingesting heavy, greasy foods before bed can shift the body’s focus away from sleep,” Kirkpatrick says. “Fried foods are also more likely to induce heartburn and other discomforts, making it more difficult for the body to rest before bed,” she adds.
Worst: Potato Chips Potato chips are a classic late-night snack. But they’re typically high in unhealthy fats and empty calories, says Valdez. In other words, potato chips provide plenty of calories and saturated fats, while offering few to no nutrients. A single cup has 140 calories and 8.8 g of fat (1.4 g from saturated fat).e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629ed823cb6-a390-4c07-bcbc-3311826533de Chips are also salty, “which can make a person even hungrier and lead to overeating,” Kirkpatrick says. If you’re not careful, you may take in more calories than you need, leading to weight gain over time.
Worst: Alcohol Drinking alcohol before bed may help you fall asleep faster, but it won’t help you stay asleep. “Drinking before bed actually disrupts the body’s natural sleep cycle,” Kirkpatrick says. Alcohol inhibits rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a phase of deep, restorative sleep when vivid dreams occur.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976292147ddf7-c343-40bc-a624-01489677cce0 This may cause you to wake up during the night and sleep either less deeply or for a shorter time. Alcohol’s initial sedative effect also wears off once the alcohol is metabolized, and this can lead to sleep disruption, too.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762969d38d75-eea7-4364-b3de-851133b355a1 Plus, “[drinking alcohol before bed] can lead to drowsiness the following day, making it difficult to complete daily functions,” Kirkpatrick says.
Worst: Chocolate Like ice cream, chocolate tends to be high in sugar, meaning it’s not the wisest option for a bedtime snack. You may think dark chocolate is a safe choice late in the day, as these bars are typically lower in sugar than milk chocolate. But chocolate is also a source of caffeine , a stimulant that disrupts the body’s sleeping pattern throughout the night, says Kirkpatrick. And the darker the chocolate (the higher the percentage of cacao solids), the more caffeine it has.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762946124943-79f2-4c4e-b2f5-b29a72fe80f7
Best: Almonds or Walnuts “A small handful of nuts will satisfy cravings and hunger while inducing sleepiness,” Kirkpatrick says. That’s because nuts like walnuts and almonds offer natural melatonin, zinc, and magnesium.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c8f9d4dd-bc1e-41fa-8fab-e8926e5a273a Research also suggests that magnesium intake is associated with longer sleep and better sleep quality.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976296642be52-5f20-4b5d-81c6-e4284ba09437 Just ensure the nuts have low or no added sodium, because “salt can disrupt the sleeping cycle,” Kirkpatrick says.
Best: Cereal With Minimal Sugar and Low-Fat Milk Pair a bowl of low-sugar cereal with some low-fat milk for a one-two punch. A cereal with minimal sugar (Kirkpatrick suggests looking for less than 5 grams [g] of sugar per serving and at least 3 g of fiber) provides the body with high-fiber carbs to keep you full, while low-fat milk offers the amino acid tryptophan. “Tryptophan produces serotonin in the body, which is converted into melatonin, inducing sleep,” Kirkpatrick says.
Worst: Ice Cream Traditional ice cream is high in saturated fats and added sugars, which can trigger cravings that lead to overeating, according to Jonathan Valdez, RDN, CDCES , the owner of Genki Nutrition in New York City. Plus, “the amount of sugar in ice cream increases blood sugar and makes it more difficult to get to sleep and stay asleep,” Kirkpatrick says.
Best: Roasted Chickpeas Roasted chickpeas are a nutrient-dense, low-calorie snack that’s high in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, Valdez says. This makes them a healthier alternative to salty snacks like potato chips. Plus, they help control blood sugar, which is crucial for sleep quality.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629339e1159-d027-4d09-a35b-8abcf8f6adb5
Best: Tart Cherries and Juice Tart cherries contain melatonin, a key hormone for regulating sleep.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629fd75d7fe-aba7-4463-8b1e-9009e3ba29ab Eating fresh tart cherries or juice increases the level of melatonin in the body, which helps you get to sleep a little easier, according to Kirkpatrick. While studies on the effect of tart cherries on sleep are still ongoing, early research suggests that tart cherries may improve sleep quality, increase sleep duration, boost melatonin levels, and decrease inflammation.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976296793f584-26d0-4d00-a09c-76102daea5fe If you choose to go the tart cherry juice route, skip fruit juice concentrates, as these typically contain added sugar.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c592afc3-8fd0-4c38-a093-b75aba7c109d When choosing a juice, opt for one that’s labeled 100 percent fruit juice; it will contain more nutrients and fewer additives than a sweetened fruit juice or a juice concentrate. But beware that even 100 percent fruit juice is usually quite high in sugar.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629474b6cfa-03b7-450a-a737-a922f080c0bf If you find cherry juice too tart, try diluting it to taste with water or plain seltzer.
Who doesn’t love putting up their feet and tucking into a bowl of popcorn or ice cream at the end of a long day? While the occasional bedtime snack is fine, capping off every day with sweet or salty fare may spell trouble. “Snacking later into the night increases the chance of weight gain, obesity , and cardiometabolic diseases,” says Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD , a dietitian and author of Skinny Liver: A Proven Program to Prevent and Reverse the New Silent Epidemic — Fatty Liver Disease . Many of us are more likely to reach for less-than-healthy foods in the evening, and you can blame your body’s built-in survival mechanisms for this. Research has shown that our circadian rhythms (the body’s internal processes that follow a 24-hour cycle) raise our hunger and cravings for sweet, salty, and carbohydrate -heavy foods when we’re tired — which tends to be at nighttime after a long day, for most of us.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c12ea1ba-c406-4812-917a-d845dd5b3680 The downside of late-night cravings is that they can add unnecessary calories that lead to significant weight gain if left unchecked. Research explains that late-night eating could throw off our internal clocks and may be associated with higher total caloric intake and body mass index (BMI).e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976294d26c814-bf6e-42ba-a612-76c12d34ecaa “To offset these innate cravings, I have found that your first defense should be drinking a glass of water or [caffeine-free] tea, rather than heading to the snack pantry,” Kirkpatrick says. Ideally, you’ll stop eating two to three hours before going to bed. If you’re actually hungry and you need a snack to dip into slumber, chances are you’re not eating enough during the day, Kirkpatrick explains. Still, if you do need to eat, or you crave a quick bite before bed, “it is important to choose a small, low-calorie, nutrient-dense snack at this time of the day,” Kirkpatrick says. In fact, some snacks contain nutrients that may relax your body, helping you fall and stay asleep. Read on to discover the best bedtime snacks, as well as the snacks to avoid before getting some sleep. default Fried foods, nuts, and fruit: Which options are smart to eat in the evening and at night?
Best: Yogurt Dairy foods like yogurt contain melatonin, which improves sleep efficiency and reduces the number of episodes of awakening, Valdez says. Yogurt is rich in calcium , a bone-building mineral that also plays a role in processing hormones (like tryptophan and melatonin) that help you sleep.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762915e0138b-1167-4940-9876-8a9c99d97638 Just make sure you select plain, unsweetened yogurt, to which you can add fresh fruit, vanilla extract, or cinnamon.
Worst: Fried Food Fried foods like chicken strips and french fries are high in fat, and fat takes longer to digest than carbs and protein. This is a bad idea when it comes to bedtime snacks. “Ingesting heavy, greasy foods before bed can shift the body’s focus away from sleep,” Kirkpatrick says. “Fried foods are also more likely to induce heartburn and other discomforts, making it more difficult for the body to rest before bed,” she adds.
Worst: Potato Chips Potato chips are a classic late-night snack. But they’re typically high in unhealthy fats and empty calories, says Valdez. In other words, potato chips provide plenty of calories and saturated fats, while offering few to no nutrients. A single cup has 140 calories and 8.8 g of fat (1.4 g from saturated fat).e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629ed823cb6-a390-4c07-bcbc-3311826533de Chips are also salty, “which can make a person even hungrier and lead to overeating,” Kirkpatrick says. If you’re not careful, you may take in more calories than you need, leading to weight gain over time.
Worst: Alcohol Drinking alcohol before bed may help you fall asleep faster, but it won’t help you stay asleep. “Drinking before bed actually disrupts the body’s natural sleep cycle,” Kirkpatrick says. Alcohol inhibits rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a phase of deep, restorative sleep when vivid dreams occur.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976292147ddf7-c343-40bc-a624-01489677cce0 This may cause you to wake up during the night and sleep either less deeply or for a shorter time. Alcohol’s initial sedative effect also wears off once the alcohol is metabolized, and this can lead to sleep disruption, too.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762969d38d75-eea7-4364-b3de-851133b355a1 Plus, “[drinking alcohol before bed] can lead to drowsiness the following day, making it difficult to complete daily functions,” Kirkpatrick says.
Worst: Chocolate Like ice cream, chocolate tends to be high in sugar, meaning it’s not the wisest option for a bedtime snack. You may think dark chocolate is a safe choice late in the day, as these bars are typically lower in sugar than milk chocolate. But chocolate is also a source of caffeine , a stimulant that disrupts the body’s sleeping pattern throughout the night, says Kirkpatrick. And the darker the chocolate (the higher the percentage of cacao solids), the more caffeine it has.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762946124943-79f2-4c4e-b2f5-b29a72fe80f7
Best: Almonds or Walnuts “A small handful of nuts will satisfy cravings and hunger while inducing sleepiness,” Kirkpatrick says. That’s because nuts like walnuts and almonds offer natural melatonin, zinc, and magnesium.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c8f9d4dd-bc1e-41fa-8fab-e8926e5a273a Research also suggests that magnesium intake is associated with longer sleep and better sleep quality.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976296642be52-5f20-4b5d-81c6-e4284ba09437 Just ensure the nuts have low or no added sodium, because “salt can disrupt the sleeping cycle,” Kirkpatrick says.
Best: Cereal With Minimal Sugar and Low-Fat Milk Pair a bowl of low-sugar cereal with some low-fat milk for a one-two punch. A cereal with minimal sugar (Kirkpatrick suggests looking for less than 5 grams [g] of sugar per serving and at least 3 g of fiber) provides the body with high-fiber carbs to keep you full, while low-fat milk offers the amino acid tryptophan. “Tryptophan produces serotonin in the body, which is converted into melatonin, inducing sleep,” Kirkpatrick says.
