10 o'clock munchies

So here's my predicament. I eat dinner around 5-6 pm, so when I go to sleep about 10-11pm, I'm starting to feel hungry again. Sometimes, like tonight, I'm actually too hungry to fall asleep, but I don't want to eat so late! Then I have to end up getting up to have a snack so I can finally sleep.

Does this happen to anyone else? What do you do about it? I'll usually have a bowl of cereal, or bread, or a rice cake when this happens.

Yep,

this def happens to me. Same as you I eat dinner around 5-6pm. Then I usually go to the gym around 7-8pm and get home kinda hungry.

I start off having a camomile tea (love the one with vanilla and honey),if this doesnt do it I have pre preared frozed berries.They dont really fill be up but at least I feel I have eaten something. 

The other thing I do to avoid it is go to bed a little earlier only if I have just come from the gym its hard to go straight to bed without winding down.I would love to hear other suggestions..

Before I start, none of this is accusationary! Just things to consider.

Are you meeting your calorie requirements for the day? Are you eating enough calories for your height, weight, age, gender, and activity level?  If you're not eating enough or have too big a defecit - anything over 1000 - you may find this is why you're hungry. You can work your calorie burn ou t here if you're over 21: BMR calculator for over 21's and here if you're under 21: BMR calculator for under 21's if you haven't already.

Do you eat a balanced dinner? Half a plate or so of fruit or vegetables, a quarter complex or wholegrain carbohydrate, a quarter proteins? Do you eat enough fats with your meal? A lack of fats, of fibre, and of protein can all lead to getting hungry quicker after a meal.

Lastly, evaluate your reasons for feeling hungry. Are you literally -hungry- at this time, stomach gurgling? Or is it because you think "I want something" - due to your tiredness, or any other emotion? If you're looking for food for any other reason than your actual hunger, consider that.

If you ARE truly hungry, though, then something light before you sleep is a good idea. Look, particularly, for foods that contain tryptophan. This is an amino acid that can make you sleepy. Bananas, turkey, milk and yoghurt, oats and chocolate all contain it but there are more sources. A small banana, a glass of warm milk (or a glass of warm milk with some cocoa powder stirred in), a small bowl of porridge or some yoghurt could all be a good snack that'll help keep you content and help you get sleep.

I have the same problem, because i'm really hungry when I get in from work and eat dinner, but then it is a while before I go to bed. What I have done to fix this is I split my dinner up into two halves. For example, I get in at 4pm, I eat half an avocado and a slice of bread, and a glass of soy milk, which is pretty filling for a few hours then later on when I feel myself getting naturally hungry again I'll have the other half, say veggie strifry with almonds and some brown rice or something, which is healthy and not too difficult to digest in the evening when you want to be winding down or refueling after working out. Little and often works for me best

The same happens to me.  I generally save enough cals so I can have a small cup of warm milk or hot chocolate before I go to bed.  This usually takes the edge off the hunger and then I can fall asleep

This used to happen to me when I ate dinner that early.  Now I have my last snack of the day at 4:00 pm and then work out from 5:30 till 6:00.  I usually eat dinner at 7:00 or 7:30 and then I feel full for the rest of the evening (In bed by 10 or 11).  Hope this helps.

I second the suggetions about assessing your total caloric intake.

It's also really important to, not just assess your total intake but what you are eating, when, and how it makes you feel (much like hayleeb indiciated--she was hungry when she ate that early, so che changed her schedule so that it worked for her).

claire_galway~ why not throw in a snack around 4:00, go to the gym, and THEN eat dinner after?  This would be useful for several reasons: 1) you wouldn't be exercising on a full stomach, 2) eating AFTER you workout is vital to muscle recovery, 3) you continue to burn calories at a higher rate immediately after working out, so you would burn more of what you're eating and 4) you wouldn't be so hungry right before bed. 

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Yes, I'm eating enough calories and balanced meals. My deficit is usually only 400-450 calories a day (I've found if I go over 500 deficit I lose no weight!). I have to eat about every 4 hours even during the day otherwise I get too hungry and end up binging and feel like crap.

When I posted this, it was after midnight and I had not been able to fall asleep for two hours because of my hunger. My gurgling stomach even woke up my fiance!

I'll try some of the suggestions. I cannot have bananas because I am allergic and I can't have too much milk or I get sick, but maybe a small glass will help. I also like the idea of splitting my dinner into two halves and eating them a few hours apart.

wait, i dont get it, whats wrong w a snack before bed?

Some people say you shouldn't eat after 9pm or within x hours before going to bed because your metabolism starts to slow down (or many other reasons).

it does NOT MATTER WHEN you eat, its calories in/calories out.  food does not know time.

Original Post by agruskin:

it does NOT MATTER WHEN you eat, its calories in/calories out.  food does not know time.

Agreed!  Some people don't like to eat too close to bedtime because they find they feel uncomfortably full and therefore can't sleep...it sounds like this would not be a problem for you   It's whether you are getting the correct ratio of calories in/calories out that matter (which it sounds like you are).  I regularly eat before bed and have been consistently losing weight for months...no reason you shouldn't too!