There is a strong belief that people should leave at least a couple of hours before going to bed after they eat. This way, their body will have some time to digest the food and avoid gaining weight. But, a new study revealed this method is not necessary at all.
There is a common belief that eating before bed has an impact on your wellbeing. According to This Is Insider, it can't only make you gain weight, but it can even lead to other issues like a higher risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
However, researchers from the Graduate School of Health Sciences at Okayama University in Japan debunked this belief and proved the claim is not true at all. In the country, people are advised to wait for two hours before they go to bed after dinner at least three times a week. But, the study revealed waiting for two hours before your bedtime after a meal is unlikely to affect your blood glucose levels that will make you gain weight.
Researchers from the Graduate School of Health Sciences at Okayama University in Japan conducted a study published in the journal "BMJ Nutrition, Prevention, and Health" to learn if leaving a two-hour gap between bedtime and dinner can increase blood glucose level. The research ran from 2012 to 2014 and involved 1,573 healthy middle-aged adults - the majority was over 65-years-old - in the country.
The researchers analyzed the participants' diets and other lifestyle factors like physical activity, weight, and drinking and smoking habits. They also assessed their eating habits, how fast they eat and monitored their HbA1c levels that indicate their longer-term blood glucose levels.
The study revealed HbA1c levels haven't changed over the course of the three-year study, per the South China Morning Post. The count even stayed the same and remained normal. "Contrary to general belief, ensuring a short interval between the last meal of the day and bedtime did not significantly affect HbA1c levels," the researchers said.
The research authors found out "weight, blood pressure, blood fats, physical activity levels, smoking, and drinking" are more likely to affect the changes in HbA1c levels compared to the time gap between eating and sleeping. But, the researchers admitted their study was only observational and couldn't "establish causation."
They also acknowledged Japanese cuisine is often composed of lots of vegetables and in small portions. So, it might be different from other nations' servings. But despite the limitations, the researchers believed their study is significant.
The authors noted people should pay attention to what they eat, its portions and food components. Getting proper sleep and avoiding smoking, alcohol drinking, and being overweight played important parts on a person's metabolic process. So, they encouraged everyone to practice a balanced diet and lifestyle, instead of telling them to leave a two-hour gap between bedtime and dinner.
