Evening snacking ‘could cause problems with slimming’

Snacking late at night and ignoring the body’s natural rhythms could cause problems when it comes to slimming.

This is the warning of sleep consultant Dr Neil Stanley, who told the Daily Mail that while our ancestors would respect the darkness and go to bed earlier, we try to fight it by continuing to work and eat meals as we would in the daytime.

He explained that this could cause problems.

“Anyone who exposes themselves to too much light at night-time is likely to have more of a problem losing weight,” Dr Stanley remarked.

Instead, the expert recommended embracing the dark and only eating early in the evenings to avoid disrupting hormone levels, which may lead to cravings for unhealthy foods.

Anyone who cannot avoid snacking at night or is in need of sustenance could consider eating foods that encourage the body to produce the sleep chemical serotonin, MSNBC.com recently suggested. These include yoghurt, bananas and porridge.

Are you guilty of night-snacking?