Endocrinologist Natalia Tananakina said that waking up at night to eat more than twice a week, or consuming more than 25% of one’s daily calorie intake after dinner, may indicate an underlying health problem.
اضافة اعلان
According to Tananakina, these behaviors may be signs of metabolic and sleep disorders. One possible cause of nighttime hunger is insulin resistance or prediabetes.
Reduced sensitivity to insulin can disrupt blood glucose regulation, potentially leading to feelings of hunger, including at night.
Nighttime hunger may also be associated with hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones. This slows metabolism and may affect eating behavior, including increasing the desire to eat in the evening, according to Russia Today.
Another possible cause is obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops during sleep, causing frequent awakenings that a person may not always notice. Sleep disturbances can affect the balance of the hormones ghrelin and leptin, which regulate hunger and satiety.
The condition may also be indicated by consuming at least a quarter of daily calories after dinner, regularly waking up to eat, and having little or no appetite in the morning.
Tananakina noted that even mild sleep deprivation can contribute to nighttime hunger. If a person sleeps fewer than seven hours, ghrelin levels may rise while leptin levels decrease, intensifying hunger even when sufficient food has been consumed during the day.
The doctor recommends consulting an endocrinologist if waking up to eat occurs two or more times a week, particularly when accompanied by a lack of appetite in the morning or episodes of overeating in the evening.
Weight gain, persistent fatigue, dry skin, and menstrual irregularities may also warrant a medical evaluation.
