Often Wake Up Midnight Because You're Hungry? Here Are 6 Causes

Illustration of midnight hunger (Photo: Freepik/Freepik)

JAKARTA - Waking up at midnight or early morning with hunger can disturb you and your body feels tired the next day. Basically, hunger in the blind morning is not dangerous. But if it happens often, the body could be sending a signal that there is something to pay attention to from diet, sport to quality sleep.

According to dr. Luiza Petre, a health practitioner, hunger in the blind morning is actually not an emergency.

"You should feel a little hungry, not full, but quite comfortable," said Petre, quoted from the Eating Well page.

However, if hunger feels very strong, especially at midnight or early morning, there may be nutritional problems that need to be considered.

Here are 6 reasons why you can wake up because you are hungry and simple tips for overcoming it.

1. Changes in Sports Pattern

If you are used to certain types of exercise, the body will adapt so that it is more efficient to burn calories. But when you change the type of exercise to longer or more intense, the burned calories can increase temporarily. If not balanced with additional intake, the body can experience an energy deficit that triggers hunger at night.

"The energy deficit is usually not more than a few hundred calories", explainedten Dixon, a nutritionist.

"It's enough to add a balanced snack of 200'300 calories at night, about 1.2 hours before bed, this problem can be solved," he added.

An example of the snack is yogurt with berries or bananas.

2. Eat in Porsi Besar Ahead of Sleep

Some people are sensitive to large amounts of carbohydrates.

"You can produce excess insulin after eating a simple high-carb food, so blood sugar levels actually drop too low an hour after eating," said Dixon.

This is what can make a person wake up with hunger even though he has just eaten.

The solution, choose a lighter dinner with a combination of fat-free protein, complex carbohydrates, and a little healthy fat. Avoid too much fat because it makes foods last a long time in the stomach and can cause a heartburn during sleep. For example yogurt with high Goods of fiber and additional low sugar.

3. Sleep Pattern Change

Lack of sleep can interfere with the balance of the appetite regulatory hormone. Hormone ghrelin (hungry trigger) increases, while leptin (feeding appetite) decreases.

This makes you feel more often hungry and tends to snack, both day and night, explained dr. Petre.

Therefore, improve the habit of sleep so that the body and stomach can both rest in peace.

4. Often Miss meals

Daily busyness often makes people skip meals. However, if the calorie deficit is too large, the body can force it by waking you out of hunger.

"The hunger signal can be strong enough to wake someone because the brain and body prioritize eating over sleep," said Dixon.

To overcome this, make it easier to eat regularly with a combination of fatless protein, fiber and healthy fat so that blood sugar levels are stable and sleep more soundly.

5. Unbalanced Blood Sugar Level

For people with prediabetics or diabetes, it is difficult for body cells to absorb energy from glucose because they do not respond to insulin properly. As a result, even though they have eaten, the body still sends a hungry signal because the cells do not get sufficient fuel.

"If you're not losing weight, there's no major lifestyle change, but you're often awakened because you're hungry, you'd better check blood sugar and insulin levels," Dixon suggested.

Consultation with medical personnel can help ensure this condition.

6. Actually, only Haus

The thirst is often misinterpreted as hunger.

Every body cell needs water to function optimally. So when the body lacks fluids, the alarm can sound even in the middle of the night. " said Amy Sunderman, RD, a nutritionist.

The simple solution is to put a glass of water next to the bed. Drink first to determine whether the taste that appears is really hungry or just thirst.