Research shows that eating late at night could lead to weight gain if you eat the same amount of calories in the morning as in the evening. Why does this happen? A study published in the journal Cell Metabolism found that consuming food later in the day caused more ghrelin, a hormone linked to hunger, to circulate throughout participants’ bodies. The more ghrelin that’s circulating, the hungrier you feel and more likely you are to overeat and make poor food choices later on when you really shouldn’t be thinking about food.

Do you eat at night?

If you’re trying to lose weight, you may be tempted to abstain from eating after dinner. If so, you might want to reconsider; that late-night snack could be good for your health and make you lose weight. Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel found that participants who consumed carbohydrates before bed were less likely to gain weight over three years than those who ate no carbs before bed. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose and stored as glycogen in our liver—but we only have enough room for about 100 grams of it. The rest of our carb intake gets stored as fat if we don’t use it right away.

The hidden reason why eating at night can cause weight gain

hormones. Eating before bed can throw off your natural balance of leptin and ghrelin, two hormones that work together to regulate feelings of hunger and fullness. Leptin sends signals to our brains that we're full so we'll stop eating, while ghrelin tells us when it's time to get a snack because we're hungry. Ideally, these two chemicals are released at just the right time — in response to cues such as stomach stretching or light entering our eyes —to tell us when to eat and when not to eat.

Tips to stop yourself from eating after dinner

Have trouble keeping your hands out of that bag of chips, a bowl of ice cream, or a slice of pizza after dinner? Cutting yourself off may be more difficult than you think. If you've ever looked in a mirror after a big meal and said you're so full! only to eat another spoonful 30 seconds later, you know how tough it can be to stick to your diet. To prevent night eating syndrome, try these tips