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I used to joke with calorie-counting clients that, if they were “out” of calories, it was time for bed. They joked back that they really couldn’t imagine going to bed when the sun hadn’t set.

Increasingly though, I began to recognize that it was no joke. A very common problem for people trying to lose weight was late night eating. They just couldn’t seem to close down the kitchen, particularly when they weren’t getting enough sleep.

Finishing what should have been a perfectly satisfying dinner, they would find themselves, an hour or so later, succumbing to late night eating—poking around the cupboards in search of that one-more-thing that would finally gratify them.

It didn’t take a genius to hypothesize that if someone isn’t getting enough sleep, a logical reaction of the body would be to look for more fuel, hence late night eating. But fuel equals calories.

In spite of the resistance, I began to regularly and seriously suggest getting enough sleep, and even getting “more sleep,” as a prescription to those people who struggled with the issue of late night eating. That included me.

Well, apparently great minds do think alike. Orfeu Buxton, PhD, who is in the division of Sleep Medicine and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, advises that the body does respond to not getting enough sleep by craving more fuel. Which, of course, equates to late night eating.

In a webcast on www.healingwell.healthology.com he explains, “Leptin is a molecule secreted by fat cells that conveys a satiety signal: ‘There's enough fuel on board.’ And with sleep restriction, keeping the level of activity and the amount of calories constant, the body says, ‘I need more food.’ And this is inappropriate and may lead to overeating and potentially obesity in the long term.”

During the same webcast, Jana Klauer, MD, pointed out that when the body isn’t getting enough sleep, it interprets this as a state of stress. “Cortisol is the stress hormone. Cortisol causes, in turn, the release of insulin and insulin is a storage hormone that promotes fat storage.”

In addition, Buxton says, not getting enough sleep “seems to be associated with metabolic changes that can lead to overeating and obesity, so in studies where sleep restriction in the laboratory was done, subjects tended to have metabolic changes and alterations of glucose metabolism that might lead to their becoming obese in the future.”
All of which, in simple terms, boils down to: “Not getting enough sleep leads to late night eating and weight gain.”

The solution could simply be to break the habits that contribute to the cycle not getting enough sleep . . . leading to late night eating . . . leading to being overweight . . . leading to being overly tired.

According to Dr. Klauer, “When someone switches their sleep pattern to one of increased deep sleep, they wake up renewed. They don't put off going to the gym; they get out of bed, have their water, put on their gym clothes and go out the door and exercise.” Getting enough sleep can then lead to a healthier cycle: an increase in exercise . . . a decrease in late night eating . . . weight loss . . . and more energy.

How do you break the habits of not getting enough sleep and late night eating? This is what I suggest:

1. Yes, close the kitchen. After the dishes are done, turn off the lights and even close the door if possible. Have a glass of water handy in case you feel thirsty (our bodies also mix up signals for hunger and thirst). It’s easier to reduce late night eating if you don’t sit at the kitchen table to read or socialize.

2. Mentally prepare for bedtime. I use the following affirmation. “Peacefully, I end my day stretching and breathing.” Repeating this mantra gives me a moment to take some deep breaths and reflect on other options besides late night eating. It also helps to calm my mind, which is very important, because one of the biggest culprits for not getting enough sleep is a hectic head.

3. Decide on a bedtime and determine in advance how you would like to spend the last half hour before you go to sleep. Some of my choices include yoga, journaling, reading a magazine article, writing a letter, snuggling with my sweetie pie, or doing a crossword puzzle. They don’t include checking my email or engaging in any mental heavy-lifting, and they most definitely don’t include late night eating.

4. Track your sleep patterns. If you’re not getting enough sleep, tracking your patterns might help you to learn why. You could do this in your food journal/diary, if you are keeping one. There is a sleep diary available for downloading at http://www.healthysleeping.com/sleep/sleepdiary.asp.

The quality of your sleep is just as important as getting enough sleep. If you are getting enough sleep and still wake up feeling tired, see your doctor regarding possible sleep disorders.

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