Breaking These Habits Could Stop Your Late-Night Cravings

It’s time for bed, and all you can think of are the chips and cookies in your kitchen cabinet. Although there is nothing wrong with having a sweet or salty snack, eating before you go to sleep could contribute to acid reflux or upset your stomach. And late-night cravings or hunger could be a sign that you aren’t fueling yourself properly during the day. Below, registered dietitians explain habits that can cause you to raid the pantry before bed. 

You don’t eat what you really want

It’s easy to conflate cravings and hunger, but they are different, explains Alex Caspero, R.D., and owner of Delish Knowledge. “You can be satisfied and still have a food craving,” she says. For example, you might eat chicken and broccoli when you really want to eat a burger. “Hunger can be remedied by eating any type of food, while a craving is often only remedied by a specific food,” Caspero says. Hunger isn’t a prerequisite for cravings, and the latter is common when you restrict foods that you enjoy, according to Caspero, like cake or candy. “Nutrition is a long game. What we eat as a pattern matters more than an individual snack or meal,” she says.

Eating a reasonable portion of foods you really want with or after your meal is important to maintaining a healthy relationship with food, Hadley says. “Allowing yourself to enjoy foods you love during the day can prevent the ‘all-or-nothing’ cycle of restriction and overeating. 

You skip meals

Blowing off breakfast or working through lunch can catch up to you later in the day, according to Kaytee Hadley, MS, RDN, functional medicine dietitian and founder of Holistic Health and Wellness. “Your body is smart. If you don’t eat during the day, you will be hungry at night because your body needs more energy,” she says. 

According to Samantha Peterson, MS, RDN, a functional medicine registered dietitian and founder of Simply Wellness, skipping meals can lead to drops in blood sugar and an increase in stress hormones. “This is when willpower tends to go offline and your brain seeks quick energy, usually in the form of carbs or sweets,” Peterson says. “Eating regularly, about every 3–4 hours, helps maintain steady energy and balanced blood sugar so you’re less likely to experience those late-night cravings or ‘bottomless pit’ moments after dinner.”

You don’t eat enough starchy foods

High-protein, low-carb diets have caused some people to shirk starchy foods, such as potatoes and rice, both of which can help increase satisfaction and decrease your likelihood of cravings and hunger. “Foods with complex carbohydrates like oats, rice, quinoa, and potatoes provide fiber and are slower digesting, which helps maintain blood sugar stability and boost satiety,” Hadley says. 

In fact, Caspero thinks we should rethink the low-carb diet trends. “Thanks mostly to social media, we currently have a huge obsession with protein, but I think we need to switch that obsession to fiber. Only one in 10 Americans gets enough fiber, and when it comes to satisfying hunger, fiber is key.” 

Your meals don’t contain enough nutrients

Even if you’re eating enough food overall, you may feel hungry or get late-night cravings if your foods don’t have the right mix of nutrients that your body needs to function. “Aim for what I call the blood-sugar balance trifecta: protein + fiber + fat,” instructs Peterson. “Protein stabilizes hunger hormones, fiber slows digestion, and healthy fats keep you satisfied and full for longer. This combination provides slow, sustained energy that naturally reduces nighttime hunger,” she says. Aim to include each in every meal to feel your best. Although every person’s needs are different, Peterson recommends building your plate to include a palm-sized portion of protein, a fist-sized serving of starches, colorful veggies or fruit for fiber, and one to two thumb-sized portions of fat for flavor and satiety. 

You suppress emotions

Sometimes, cravings can be triggered by stress or other emotions that you may not even be aware of. “Often, we confuse emotional or sensory needs, like wanting comfort, warmth, or relaxation, with hunger,” Peterson explains. “The key is to pause and check in: What do I really need right now? Sometimes it’s food; sometimes it’s rest, calm, or connection.”

You skimp on sleep

The number of hours you snooze each night can have a significant impact on your hunger. “When you’re sleep-deprived, levels of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) rise while leptin (the fullness hormone) drops, which amplifies cravings, especially for quick-energy foods like sugar and refined carbs,” Peterson says. She recommends getting at least seven to nine hours of good-quality sleep each night, which will help you choose foods based on intention and not fatigue.