Like alcohol, consuming a large meal can make you feel sleepy. This is referred to as postprandial sleepiness. There are many potential reasons such as fluctuations in proteins, hormones, blood flow, brain chemicals, inflammation and the time eaten. There is also the type of food eaten – very rich calorific food, high in carbohydrates and fat are more likely to make you sleepy (1). This is not necessarily a problem unless you feel sleepy after your lunch and you need to remain alert.
However, there can be issues with eating late at night especially rich and/or spicy foods as they can create digestive issues. If we think when we eat and digest our food, we are upright yet when we go to bed we are lying down and this position creates a potential for issues such as acid reflux, heartburn and indigestion. Also a heavy meal can make you feel bloated and uncomfortable. All this can make going to sleep an issue. Also as digesting food takes energy, if you eat late at night, you are having to digest the food whilst asleep and you’re not giving your digestive system a much needed rest.
There is also the possibility that eating something sugary at night could give you a sugar spike and make it hard to sleep as your body has a burst of energy (2,3)
On the other hand if you haven’t eaten enough then you could wake up in the night because of hunger pangs.
What to Ask Your Client
- Are you eating your evening meal late at night?
- What are you eating in the evening as a meal and/or late at night?
- Does your stomach feel uncomfortable when trying to go to sleep?
- Do you suffer from indigestion, acid reflux, heartburn from eating late and does this interfere with your sleep?
- Do you wake up hungry in the night?
- Can you eat your evening meal earlier/later in the evening?
- Could you change some of the food you eat (see foods to help you sleep)?
- If you are waking up hungry can you ensure you eat a small snack before bed?
References:
- Crispim, C. A., Zimberg, I. Z., dos Reis, B. G., Diniz, R. M., Tufik, S., & de Mello, M. T. (2011). Relationship between food intake and sleep pattern in healthy individuals. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 7(6), 659–664.
- Gangwisch JE, Hale L, St-Onge MP, Choi L, LeBlanc ES, Malaspina D, Opler MG, Shadyab AH, Shikany JM, Snetselaar L, Zaslavsky O, Lane D. High glycemic index and glycemic load diets as risk factors for insomnia: analyses from the Women’s Health Initiative. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020 Feb 1;111(2):429-439.
- Alahmary SA, Alduhaylib SA, Alkawii HA, Olwani MM, Shablan RA, Ayoub HM, Purayidathil TS, Abuzaid OI, Khattab RY. Relationship Between Added Sugar Intake and Sleep Quality Among University Students: A Cross-sectional Study. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2019 Aug 23;16(1):122-129.