10 Proven Steps to Break the Late Night Snacking Habit | Leave a comment

Do you go for the fridge or pantry after dinner when you’re not even hungry anymore?

Is the urge to snack at night ruining your healthy habits and making you feel frustrated or guilty?

If you have ever tried to stop snacking before bed or struggled with the midnight munchies, you are not the only one. Nighttime eating is a very common struggle, but you can definitely manage cravings and get back to making healthier choices.

Why Should You Reduce Late Night Snacking?

Nighttime snacking can become more than just extra calories in your day—it can impact your sleep, energy, and overall healthy weight.

Night eating often leads to poor food choices and mindless eating that will interfere with your goals and disrupt your ability to develop healthy habits.

Taking action on the steps outlined below will help you break bad habits, shift habits that are not in your best interest, and create food choices that will enhance your health and well-being.

1. Identify What Triggers It

The first step in breaking the habit of nighttime snacking is identifying what triggered the urge to snack after dinner. Triggers can be emotional (stress, anxiety, boredom), environmental (seeing snacks on the counter), or simply habitual.

Action steps:

• Keep a Food and Mood journal for one week: Write down what you ate after dinner, how you were feeling, and what was happening when you reached for a snack. Pay attention to patterns, such as snacking while watching television or eating when you feel anxious.
• Remove easy access to snacks by putting them in a place where you don’t see them or not purchasing your biggest temptations.
• Reflect on your environment and routines. Is there a cue, such as a favorite television show or a certain time, that creates the desire to eat? If you simply walk into the kitchen, you may feel the immediate urge to snack, since your brain has learned to activate the “snack” behavior when entering that room.
• Cues can also be emotions. Many people eat snacks in the evening to cope with stress and loneliness, or may have learned to reward themselves after a long day. Recognizing these patterns is the first step in changing them.

Example: You start recognizing you always grab a bag of chips after a stressful day at work while watching Heartland on Netflix. Once you make that connection, you can plan a different behavior to respond to wanting food, such as going for a walk or steeping herbal tea.

2. Eat Balanced Meals During the Day

Many people eat snacks in the evening because they did not eat enough during the day, or their meals were not balanced. Missing meals and skipping balanced meals can leave you craving and hungry later on.

Action Steps:

• Remember to include protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbohydrates with all your meals to leave longer-lasting feelings of fullness.
• Don’t skip breakfast or lunch—you can prevent reaching extremes of hunger in the evening by avoiding the ups and downs of hunger through regular meal consumption.
• Snack in between meals if you need to, but think about how you would like to feel at dinnertime so that you don’t arrive starving to the table.

Having a balanced breakfast and lunch sets the stage for a great rest of the day. Protein and fiber keep you feeling satiated, and healthy fats offer longer-lasting energy for your body. If you are filling up your meals with nutrient-dense ingredients that keep you energized, it is less likely you will feel deprived or hungry later at night.

If you get home for dinner feeling ravenous, it is a good indication that something is lacking in the quality or quantity of your earlier meals throughout the day. Sometimes a mid-afternoon snack can take the edge off. Greek yogurt or a handful of nuts are good examples of satiating snacks that may help you avoid late-night eating.

Example: Instead of having a lighter lunch for the day, fill up on a salad with grilled chicken, an avocado, and whole grains. Filling up like this may help stave off hunger and random snacks at night.

3. Create a Kitchen Curfew

Establishing a clear line with respect to when eating is “closed” for the night can be a real game changer when it comes to specific eating controls. A kitchen curfew helps signal to your brain and your body that eat time is over.

Action steps:

• Choose a time each night (for example, 8 p.m.) when the kitchen is officially closed for eating.
• When you have eaten your last meal or your last snack for the day, brush your teeth—this signals to your brain that you are officially done eating for the day with a concrete sensory experience.
• Put away any food remaining on the counter, turn off kitchen lights, and avoid hanging out in the kitchen after your self-imposed eating curfew.

A kitchen curfew is as much a psychological boundary as it is a physical one. By establishing a kitchen curfew, you are less likely to visit the kitchen as a habit, even if it is out of “snack attack.” Brushing your teeth is a simple but effective way to solidify this—food always tastes awful afterward!

If you live with others, let everyone know when your kitchen curfew is so they can support you or even join you. Maybe even set reminders on your phone or place sticky notes on the fridge.

Example: You set a kitchen curfew for 8:30pm. After dinner, you brush your teeth and turn off the kitchen lights as you head to your room. You are less likely to wander into the kitchen for a late night snack.

4. Practice Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is about being aware of what you are eating, why you eat it, and what it is doing to your body. Many people consume a lot of food on autopilot late at night.

Action Steps:

• Before you eat anything after dinner, stop and ask yourself: Am I hungry or am I bored, stressed, or tired?
• If you decide to eat something, don’t do so mindlessly—put down your phone and turn off the show and simply eat.
• Focus on the flavor, texture, and satisfaction that food brings you.

Mindful eating is meant to slow down your evening routine so you can tune into your own body. You will often discover if you are eating out of habit or boredom that you are not actually hungry. If you do decide to snack, make it intentional—sit at a table, use a plate, and enjoy each bite.

Learning to eat mindfully can also help you enjoy your food more and create that feeling of satisfaction, making it less likely to go back for more. Over time, you will get better at listening to your body and what it truly needs. This will help you less likely fall into automatic nighttime eating.

Example: Instead of reaching for cookies at 10 p.m., you check in with yourself and realize you’re just bored. Instead, you make a cup of herbal tea and read, meeting the urge without the eating.

5. Establish an Evening Routine

Creating an evening routine can help you stop the cycle of eating at night by creating new (healthier!) and more pleasant alternatives to replace the habit. When you are being leisurely active and enjoy activities as part of your evenings, you will be less likely to eat out of boredom and habit.

Action steps:

• Choose a relaxing activity after dinner (e.g. taking a walk, doing yoga, journaling, or reading).
• Avoid activities that encourage you to snack (e.g. don’t watch TV with a bowl of snacks nearby).
• Try to set a bedtime so your body knows you are winding down and not just winding up to eat.

A healthy evening routine doesn’t have to be complicated. Simple activities or rituals such as making a cup of herbal tea or taking a warm bath can help signal to your mind and body that it is time to relax, and not eat. If you are used to snacking while watching TV, consider knitting or doodling during your evening instead.

Also remember, when you are more consistent with a bedtime, you are keeping your hunger hormones in check and will have an easy option to resist cravings. The more you fill your evenings with enjoyable and pleasant non-food activities, the less time you will have for those late-night munchies.

Example: After dinner, you take 20 minutes to stretch, then take a warm shower. This new routine helps to relax you with the new ritual to signal your mind and body that your day is ending, not that it is time to snack.

6. Stock Up on Healthy Alternatives

If you must have a snack at night, make it a healthy, portion-controlled option. By keeping better options readily available, you will prevent yourself from turning to the junk snacks.

Action steps:

• Keep cut up veggies, fresh fruit, or a small handful of nuts on hand for a light, nutritious snack.
• Do not buy any high sugar, high-fat snacks or at least keep them out of sight.
• Prepare healthy snacks ahead of time if possible, so you aren’t tempted by easy options.

Healthy alternatives do not always suck. Try air-popped popcorn, a small bowl of berries, or Greek yogurt with a bit of cinnamon or sweetener! If you portion snacks into small containers, chances are you will eat much less of it than if you mindlessly eat out of a bag or large container.

If you live with others who keep tempting snacks in the house, make some of your healthy options easy to access. Designate a shelf or drawer for your healthy options; the easier it is to access something healthy, the more success you will have staying with your goals.

Example: You prep a small bowl of berries and a handful of almonds at the beginning of the week and when you feel the need to snack you grab this instead of the cookies or chips.

7. Stay Hydrated

Sometimes, thirst can feel like hunger especially later in the evening. Staying hydrated can sometimes be enough to help curb cravings and avoid snacking.

Action steps:

• Drink a tall glass of water or herbal tea if you feel hungry after dinner.
• Keep a water bottle or mug of tea near you while watching TV in the evenings.
• Limit sugary drinks and caffeine, because as we talked about, sugar impacts sleep and can also trigger cravings.

Dehydration can cause you to confuse thirst for hunger, compelling you to snack unnecessarily throughout the day; this is why it is important to regularly drink water during the day—and particularly after dinner. If you get the urge to put something in your mouth, herbal teas (such as chamomile or peppermint) are useful to help calm you for sleep, plus they provide flavor without sugar.

If you are craving something a little sweet, you can flavor your water using fruit or herbs to add more flavor without the sugar. Staying hydrated with water supports your metabolism and overall well-being.

Example: You feel like snacking at 9 p.m. and after drinking a glass of water, you realize you didn’t want food, you were thirsty and perhaps a little bored.

8. Address Emotional Eating

Late night snacking often occurs when we are attempting to manage our emotions such as stress, loneliness, or anxiety. It is important to learn how to manage these feelings differently.

Action steps:

• Practice ways to manage stress like deep breathing, meditating, or writing down your feelings so that you can notice when a craving may be coming on.
• If you are feeling lonely, reach out to a friend or family member.
• Note your emotional triggers and plan non-food ways of responding.

It is normal to use food as a response to the fluctuations of life. Instead of turning to food as comfort food, try some different healthier ways to manage your emotions, such as calling a friend, taking a warm bath, or listening to music. Practicing alternatives more frequently will make it easier to break the connection between emotions and eating!

If you find yourself struggling with strong emotions or consistent night eating and need someone to talk with about it, consider seeing a counselor or a therapist. Sometimes it takes additional support to resolve any underlying issues.

Example: You have had a tough day, instead of going straight for the ice cream you call a friend to talk or spend 10 minutes journaling about how you are feeling.

9. Get Enough Sleep

Sleep deprivation can increase cravings and make late night snacking harder to say no to. When you are tired, your body releases more hunger hormones and fewer fullness hormones.

Action steps:

• Go to bed and wake up at a consistent time each day; yes, even on weekends!
• Develop a bedtime routine that makes it possible for you to wind down.
• Ensure that your bedroom is dark, cool, and quiet and set up for restful sleep.

Studies have shown that lack of sleep can increase ghrelin (hunger hormone) and decrease leptin (hormone that makes you feel full). As a result, you may be more likely to eat excessive calories at night. Prioritizing sleep is one of the best things you can do to assist in controlling snacking behavior.

Create a winding down time, which can include reading a book, listening to calming music, or gentle stretching for about 10 minutes. Please practice avoiding screens or bright lights for at least 30 minutes prior to bedtime to allow your body to produce melatonin (the sleep hormone).

Example: You now have a consistent bedtime each night of the week, and you notice that you are less likely to have cravings for snacks late at night.

10. Be Patient and Celebrate Progress

Breaking the late-night snacking chain is a process and not a quick fix. Be patient with yourself, and take the time to recognize the progress you will make along the way.

Action steps:

• Keep track of your progress with a habit tracker or journal to keep record of when you succeed in not engaging in night eating.
• Treat yourself when you hit milestones (maybe a new book, a nice bubble bath, ticket to a fun outing).
• When you have a slip up, don’t berate yourself—take time to evaluate what happened and get back on track.

Breaking habits takes time, and sometimes you may slip back into the habit—it happens. Instead of being focused on being perfect, just focus on making progress. Each night that you made a better choice is a win to celebrate!

Share your good news with supportive friends or family, or join an online community regarding healthy habits you are working on. It can be encouraging to get support or accountability through those tough nights.

Example: After a week of sticking to your kitchen curfew you reward yourself with a new kitchen gadget or engaging in a favorite activity as a reward for your success and progress!

Final Thoughts on Late Night Snacking

Late night snacking is a hard habit to overcome, but it is absolutely possible with the right strategies and a bit of patience.

Taking the time to identify your triggers, eating balanced meals, establishing boundaries, and practicing mindful eating can help reduce cravings and develop healthy habits that support your well-being.

It is worth remembering that change takes time, so practice being kind with yourself, celebrate, and focus on every little step forward. Pick one or two of the above options and take purposeful action towards them tonight! Your body, mind, and future self will thank you.