Food cravings at night: Why they happen and how to stop them

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You’re getting ready for bed, settling in for the night, all the while being mildly distracted by a recurring thought: I really want a cookie (even though you’ve already brushed your teeth). This urge only grows as the night goes on, until you find yourself raiding your kitchen for a sweet treat.

Food cravings can hit at any time, but tend to happen more often at night. Regardless of when they happen, they can be very distracting. Sometimes they’re powerful enough that you structure your entire day around satisfying that craving, no matter the expense or inconvenience.

You may feel like there are only two options when it comes to cravings: giving in or ignoring them (and feeling dissatisfied for hours, days, or even weeks). But there are actually better ways to manage cravings and reduce the power they have in our lives.

What causes cravings?

Food cravings and appetite behaviors are regulated in the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that is the control center between the endocrine and nervous systems. A variety of factors can affect the presence and intensity of cravings, including:

• Sleep deprivation
• Nutrient-deficient diet (which often includes a high amount of ultra-processed foods)
• Not enough physical activity
• Pregnancy
• PMS
• Hormone imbalances
• Eating habits (including a diet regimen that limits certain foods)
• Your gut microbiome
• Stress
• Mood
• Habits and associations (who you’re around, what you’re doing, what the occasion is, etc.)

With so many factors contributing to food cravings, it can be hard to pin down what the specific cause of your nemesis may be. But when it really comes down to it, most food cravings can be traced back to lifestyle habits and what the hormones in your body are doing.

How hormones affect hunger and cravings

Hormones are involved with more than just our emotions. They play several important roles in appetite management, too.

For instance, leptin and ghrelin are responsible for sending cues to your brain that signal fullness (leptin) or hunger (ghrelin). If you’re a stress eater you’re well aware of the effect that cortisol can have on your appetite, especially when it comes to cravings for comfort foods. GLP-1 and insulin both help regulate blood sugar levels, which affect your appetite throughout the day. And a bad night’s sleep does more than make you cranky and tired; it sets your hormones in a tizzy, too.

Keeping all these hormones in line can be a delicate dance at times, and perfection won’t always be possible. But there are steps we can take to support normal hormone levels, which will do more to help you stay ahead of your cravings than just about anything else.

7 tips to manage cravings

If you’ve looked at the list of causes of food cravings, you can probably guess what direction these tips will take. Here are some ways you can prevent those pesky cravings.

1. Eat a well-balanced, nutritious diet

Never underestimate the power of nutrition. No matter what is ailing you, adhering to a nutritious diet with plenty of fiber and protein will almost always be a crucial first step. Do your best to fill your body with the nutritious fuel, which helps keep everything running as it should.

2. Drink lots of water

Dehydration can often be misinterpreted for hunger, so make sure you’re drinking plenty of water throughout the day. If cravings strike at night when you’re trying to unwind, a quick glass of water with a splash of lemon can help reduce those cravings enough to go to bed without distraction.

3. Get plenty of rest

Those who sleep less than seven hours a night tend to snack more (and crave their favorite treats while the rest of the world sleeps). Inadequate sleep can disrupt leptin and ghrelin production, making you feel hungry when you should feel satiated. So make sleep a priority. It affects just about every facet of your health, including the hormones that control your cravings.

4. Exercise more

Most adults should be getting about 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. If you’re falling short of that, start adding more movement into your day a little bit at a time.

5. Practice mindful eating

Pay attention to what you’re eating, how much, and, most importantly, why. Are you eating because you’re hungry, or because you’re bored or stressed? Taking a beat to think through why you’re eating, as well as slowing down to savor your food, can make you more aware of the hunger cues your body is sending you, including when you’re hungry and when you just need to find something else to do.

6. Allow yourself the occasional indulgence

Constantly depriving ourselves of certain food groups or the foods we love can backfire in the form of intense cravings. So don’t be afraid to treat yourself from time to time.

7. Take Unicity Balance

Making perfect choices day in and day out for your health can be exhausting and, for most of us, impossible to achieve. Taking a fiber supplement like Unicity Balance, especially with your last meal of the day, can help make up the difference.  When taken with a meal, the fiber matrix in Balance is designed to help ease some of the impact excess dietary carbohydrates can have on the body—supporting normal, healthy blood glucose levels (see study)—and can help you feel fuller for longer so you’re less tempted to snack at night.

Take back control and feel great

Food cravings are a normal part of life, but they don’t have to control you. Understanding the factors that affect cravings is the first step in taking back control. The Feel Great program—which includes Unicity Balance mentioned above—can also help you make the most of any lifestyle changes you plan to make by making it easier to get to the results you’re looking for, including fewer cravings.