Midnight Munchies

It's 11:30 pm and you're just about ready to hop into bed. But wait, what's that gentle rumbling coming from your stomach? Many of you know the overwhelming craving for a midnight snack, and I'm not ashamed of admitting to this either. Our ancestors might be the ones to blame for this behaviour, mainly because evening snacking might have increased our chances of survival in times of food scarcity. Hoarding seemed to be socially acceptable back then.

A recent study identified a potential trigger for our midnight cravings: our body's internal clock. The internal clock is otherwise known as our circadian rhythm, and it controls our physical, mental, and behavioural changes over a 24-hr period. Night owls are particularly prone to midnight cravings simply because they're awake to experience it! The consequences are also a cause for concern:

1. Poorer glucose tolerance at night. 
   Your body's ability to handle glucose varies throughout the day, and sadly it's the worst in the evening and into the night. Logically it makes sense: at a time that we should be asleep, we wouldn't want to waste any effort to deal with extra glucose that shouldn't even be there in the first place.
2. More energy storage, less energy expenditure.
   We eat, we sleep, we store (what we ate). Don't kid yourself, sleeping doesn't burn much calories.
3. Sleep deprivation & weight gain.
   You're up late, and now you've got a pack of doritos as company. This doesn't change the fact that you have to wake up at 6 am for work the next day. Sleep deprivation may actually contribute to weight gain!

So before you go reaching out for your late-night snack, re-think what that bite of poutine will actually cost you!

Sources:

• Scheer, F. A. J. L., Morris, C. J., & Shea, S. A. (2013). The internal circadian clock increases hunger and appetite in the evening independent of food intake and other behaviors. Obesity, 21(3), 421-423.

• Van Cauter, E., Polonsky, K. S., & Scheen, A. J. (1997). Roles of circadian rhythmicity and sleep in human glucose regulation. Endocrine Reviews, 18(5), 716-738.