Going to bed hungry will keep you awake and if your last meal was five or six hours earlier (dinner), you may wake up in the middle of the night hungry. It’s hard to ignore a growling stomach when you’re trying to sleep.

I went to bed hungry once and the next morning my pillow was gone. But that’s another story.

In order to prevent hunger from waking you up at night try eating a light snack before bedtime like cheese and crackers or peanut butter on a banana with a small glass of milk.
Try to make your snack a combination of protein and carbohydrates and avoid sugar bombs like cookies or a slab of cake.

It’s just as bad to overeat right before going to bed so don’t eat a whole heifer or all 60 items in the buffet because a large meal can stimulate the body and keep you awake. You also don’t want to be shooting bolt upright in the middle of the night with acid reflux or suffering from heartburn.

If you wake up hungry in the middle of the night, try not to get up and have a lot to eat. Make it just a small snack because if you start eating a large meal not only will you gain a lot of weight but it will get your mind and especially your body into the habit of expecting a midnight snack and you’ll awaken every night hungry.

I once worked night shift for months and when I moved to days, my stomach would growl me awaken at 2am looking for “dinner”. During this change over period I had to get up and get a sandwich or I would be awake all night. Then over the next few days I cut back to half a sandwich, then later to just a small glass of milk. After a week the problem stopped and I was able to sleep through the night.

Have you ever awakened in the middle of the night hungry? What did you do? Leave your comment below.