Whilst it’s ok to pander to a sweet treat on and off, you definitely need to take action to fight those habitual late-night sugar cravings. Food cravings, more so, for sweets may occur due to a nutritional deficiency; having eaten inadequately at dinnertime, a behavior, such as always having a cookie or ice cream after dinner as a child; sensory stimulation such as seeing a commercial for a candy while watching television before bed or because of oscillations in your hormone profile, such as diabetes mellitus or the pre-menstrual cycle.
Cravings are difficult to battle at night because you are tired and are unwinding after a long day, and feelings of tiredness and emotion make it tough to say no to temptation.
How To Control Craving Sweets At Night?
- Experts advocate eating at regular intervals throughout the day; have 6 to 7 small meals every 3 hours; this will keep your blood sugar level steady and will put a stop to eating sweets late at night successfully.
- In case you have a sweet tooth and cannot control the temptation of candy, biscuits, cookies, and other sweet treats, rid your kitchen of these. Once you have changed in to your pyjamas, you’re less likely to go out for dessert.
- You just need to control your portion size for the sweets and work them into your everyday calorie allowance. Have very small amounts of the sweet – one cookie, or a small cube of dark chocolate or half a scoop of ice-cream. Ensure that you do not exceed the decided quantity.
- Turn off your television an hour before bedtime and do something that will keep your mind occupied and off food. Read a book; have a bubble bath or talk to someone; it’ll help get rid of the cravings.
- Get your blood sugar level assessed; in case you have low blood sugar levels more than 3 times a week, confer with your health care provider because you may need an alteration in your medications or insulin. A doctor may need to investigate further to ascertain whether you have diabetes.
- Preventing future hypoglycemia from happening is the next step to help you get the restful sleep you need. Ensure that you adhere to a balanced diet; this will help you keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day. Buy a blood glucose meter; this is a very good way to learn about how food and your overall lifestyle influence blood sugar levels.
- Your diet must comprise of small and frequent meals with plenty of fiber rich carbohydrates, such as – whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, sweet potatoes and legumes. Steer clear of refined carbohydrates such as – white bread, sugar, desserts, and sweetened drinks. Make sure the meal has adequate amounts of protein and fat, such as – eggs, poultry, fish, cheese, olive oil or sesame seed oil. You could also confer with a registered dietician to plan your diet which will help stabilize your blood sugar levels and ward off blood sugar fluctuations.
- Select from these foods when you are craving something sweet; these are loaded with vital nutrients and will not affect your sugar levels adversely – dates, raisins, apricots, cashews, almonds, prunes, pineapples, kiwis, apples and figs.