You finally get home from a stressful day at work. You're looking forward to eating dinner and watching your favorite TV show. After dinner, you sit down in a comfortable spot on your recliner or couch. Without even thinking, you grab some snacks and polish them all off before you head to bed. You think to yourself, "Wait, did I really just eat all of that?"

If this sounds familiar, you may be struggling with the late-night munchies, an occasional habit that could sabotage your weight and your health. If it happens more than once a week, however, you may be suffering from night eating syndrome (NES), a disorder that's diagnosed when people eat during the night with full awareness and may be unable to fall asleep again without eating.

 

NES or the Late-Night Munchies?

Symptoms of NES include little or no appetite for breakfast, eating more food after dinner than during the meal, and eating more than half of your daily food intake after dinner with a pattern persisting for at least two months, according to Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. If you think you might have NES, it's important to consult with a doctor, who can give you an accurate diagnosis and recommend a treatment plan.

 

If you've simply been trying to lose a few pounds but occasionally eat at night, here are five tips for beating the late-night munchies:

  • Eat earlier.

    You probably watch your calories during the day, perhaps eating less than you should. But when the sun goes down, the hunger sets in. Your best bet is to eat most of your calories before 6 p.m. In addition, health experts recommend eating three balanced meals a day with one or two healthy snacks in between.

  • Drink lots of water.

    The next time the munchies strike, have a glass of water. You may find that what you thought was hunger was actually thirst. If water doesn't do the trick, try some hard candy. Most hard candies have few calories and trick your mind into thinking you've snacked. Just be careful not to overdo it because the calories will start piling up.

  • Put junk food out of reach.

    If you always grab for the container of cookies on your kitchen counter, put them somewhere out of sight or someplace hard to get to, such as on the top shelf. Better yet, replace them with healthier, low-calorie snacks.

  • Find alternatives to eating.

    If you find yourself eating simply out of boredom, do something that doesn't involve food. Try knitting or scrapbooking, or do sleep-friendly exercises like meditation.

  • Switch it up.

    Last but not least, say so long to your comfy spot on the couch. If you always snack when you're sitting in your favorite place, don't sit there. Find a new spot, but leave the snacks behind.