Each person has a different routine, which is a result of their habits and also their duties. This is also true when it comes to eating. The main meals are breakfast, lunch and dinner, but eating habits can be very diverse. This is because they are a reflection not only of physiological needs, but also of external factors, including choices and preferencesWhen life gets busy and full of commitments, many people fail to eat properly during the day, leaving it to make up for it by eating at night.

In addition, some people feel hungrier at this time or even get out of bed for a snack in the early morning. Although they may seem harmless, night hunger can cause weight gain and even compromise the body's health.

"Night hunger is usually more related to inadequate/insufficient food intake during the day, or because this behavior has already become a habit in the person's routine. It is also related to anxiety, stress or poorly slept nights," explains Cintia Correia de Sousa, nutritionist at Vibe Health.sleep), affecting hunger control.

Is Eating at Night Fattening?

According to the nutritionist, eating at night does not necessarily mean extra pounds. After all, what really counts for weight gain is to ingest more calories than you expend. However, if, at that moment, "consumption is above the rest of the day, the tendency is that, over repeated times, there is weight gain.

The ideal, then, is that the calories are well distributed throughout the day, so that hunger is better controlled and the night consumption does not interfere in a negative way, staying within the planned as well.

Read also: Why you overeat - and how to kick the habit

Is it really hunger?

Another interesting point to note is whether the urge to eat that appears at night or in the early morning is really hunger, so keep an eye out for the signs:

• Physiological hunger - It is a hunger that passes with the ingestion of any food. Non-specific hunger", says Cintia.
• Willingness to eat - is a specific type of hunger that does not bring physical symptoms, like the previous one. "It is a hunger that has its ups and downs (disappears and comes back suddenly) and is assuaged/sanctioned by small amounts."
• Emotional Hunger - is linked to emotions or restrictive diets. "It is a specific hunger too, but it oscillates (starts strong, maintains or increases). It is usually associated with episodes of exaggeration and characterizes the compulsive eating ", he clarifies.
• Food Compulsion - a physician-diagnosed disorder characterized by episodes of binge eating, usually associated with guilt and not necessarily with compensatory episodes.

If you feel really hungry, then bet on good food sources for the night and make lighter choices, which do not demand so much from your digestion: "Fruits and cereals are good options", indicates the specialist.

Tips for controlling nighttime hunger

• Consume fiber during the day, investing in staple foods such as rice, beans, cooked vegetables, fruits, and cereals;
• Have a good intake of water throughout the day;
• Ingest adequate amounts of protein daily, always including one source at each meal;
• Also, keep an eye on the proper amounts of calories per meal. Fractioning is individual and should be done by a nutritionist;
• Chew more food during meals to promote satiety in the body;
• Finally, avoid exchanging solid meals for liquid ones, because liquid meals do not promote satiety and, consequently, bring less control over hunger.

Read also: What to do after overeating