You’ve been real good all day.  You had your breakfast, lunch and dinner and you even managed to have a healthy snack mid-afternoon.  But sometime after the dinner dishes have been washed and put away and the sun goes down, that’s when it hits – strong cravings for a late-night snack before bedtime. 

There is nothing wrong with having a late-night snack – when it fits the parameter of being low-calorie, high in fiber and protein so basically something healthy.  Unfortunately, that’s not the usual scenario of night time binges.  Our body often seems to be craving anything that tastes sweet, sugary, salty, crunchy, high fat and filling.  Not exactly carrot or celery sticks.

Each of us will have those weak moments of trying to resist those junk food cravings but all too often, their powerful message of “you’re hungry” overwhelms us and we succumb to that urge.  If this happens on a very infrequent basis, it is usually not a problem.  But if it is occurring practically every night, then those extra calories your body doesn’t need, get stored as fat leading to weight gain.  Those excess pounds begin to accumulate and in time can lead to developing serious medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.

So why after eating a satisfying dinner meal would a person still crave snacks, sugar and junk food just a couple of hours later?  You may blame yourself for being too weak in giving in so easily but one of the root causes of these cravings can be various hormones triggering that hankering of unhealthy foods. 

Hormones involved in appetite regulation

There are four hormones that have a direct influence on your appetite regulation – Insulin, leptin, ghrelin, and peptide YY.  Here’s a look at how each of them may be affecting your inability to control cravings:

1.      Insulin

The hormone insulin is made by the beta cells in the pancreas and is released whenever there is a rise in blood sugar or glucose from foods containing carbohydrates.  Insulin is necessary to help unlock the doors to the cells of the body allowing the cells to take the sugar or glucose from the bloodstream and using it for energy.  When this happens, our blood sugar levels lower into a more normal range.

Some of us have a condition called insulin resistance in which the cells of the body do not respond to insulin normally and thus do not allow the rising sugar in the bloodstream to enter into the cells.  In other words, the cells are not letting insulin unlock and open their doors to allow the removal of sugar from the bloodstream into the cells of the body.   

When this happens, the pancreas senses that the blood sugar levels are still too high and so it will respond by continuing to secrete more insulin.  Foods that can exacerbate the problem are foods high in refined or “simple” carbohydrates such as white pasta, bread, or rice, sugary beverages, and other highly processed foods such as donuts, cake, or cookies. 

Insulin resistance can lead to a feeling of having a “gnawing’ desire to eat even though you may not be physically hungry.  It only gets worse when a person continues to eat more refined carbohydrates which make energy levels fluctuate between high and low throughout the day. 

2.      Leptin

Leptin is known as the ‘satiety” hormone.  It is made by your fat or adipose cells with its primary target being an area in the brain called the hypothalamus.  It sends a message to the brain when you have adequate fat storage and that you don’t need to eat anymore, helping you to maintain a healthy body weight.  It basically tells your brain you have had enough to eat and it’s ok to stop eating.  This helps regulate how many calories you eat and how many calories you burn, as well as how much fat we carry on our body.

3.      Ghrelin

Ghrelin is known as the “hunger hormone.”  It is produced by specialized cells that line the stomach and the pancreas and is one of the main hormones to stimulate hunger.  The levels of ghrelin increase before a meal inducing hunger and then decrease after a meal to shut off the feeling of hunger.  This hormone does just the opposite of leptin by telling your brain to eat and it may spike when you are sleep-deprived.

4.      Peptide YY

The full name of this hormone is pancreatic peptide YY and is secreted from endocrine cells call L-cells in the small intestine. Soon after eating, peptide YY is secreted into the bloodstream by the cells lining the lower small intestine.  This release begins even before nutrients from the food you ate have arrived in that part of the intestinal tract.  Peptide YY reduces food intake by telling your body you’re full and you’ve had enough to eat.  Levels of peptide YY can lower if you are not getting sufficient sleep.

Balancing hormones to help balance appetite

We are not completely in control of being able to determine when our hormones are released throughout the day.  But there are certain things we do have control over that can lead to better to a better state of balance to tame a raging appetite late at night.

·         Eat regular meals

This is not new information for anyone but regularly scheduled meals are important to achieving better balance of the hormones that affect appetite.  Eat three meals a day, including breakfast, with maybe one to possibly three snacks depending on your activity level.  Skipping meals or going without eating for more than 5-6 hours throughout the day only sets you up for craving highly processed, highly refined carbohydrates that spike blood sugar getting hormones out of whack.  Include between 20-30 grams of protein and at least 10 grams of fiber at each meal to create a feeling of satiety.  High protein foods include beef, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils.  High fiber foods include vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and whole grains.

·         Zero sugary beverages

Drinking a sugary beverage is equivalent to adding 10 teaspoons of sugar to water.  How many of us would do that deliberately?  That surge of sugar only raises blood sugar levels sky high, which sends the pancreas into overdrive releasing excess insulin into the bloodstream to try to unlock the cells doors to allow the sugar in.  Drinking calories instead of eating them also tricks the body into thinking you are still hungry leading to you seeking out food to satisfy its cravings.

·         De-stress during the day

Stress can play a major role in increasing hunger.  When we feel stressed out, this increases the stress hormone called cortisol, adding to hunger creating a vicious cycle of raising blood sugar and insulin.

Find healthy ways of dealing with stress such as regularly practicing yoga, controlled breathing and exercise.

·         Make sleep a priority

The average adult requires between 6-8 hours of sleep each night.  Having a set bedtime routine can get you in the habit of telling your body it’s time to go to sleep.  Insufficient sleep raises the “hunger hormone” of ghrelin and lowers the appetite suppressant hormone peptide YY.