Tricks to Cutting Cravings... at Night

If you ever suffer from cravings at night, you're not alone. Cravings at the end of the day usually take place because of bordeom, nutritional imbalance, crash from high carbs and processed sugars during the day, or simply from psychological conditioning (aka, you're just in the habit).

So how do we try to stop them, or at least ease the cravings when they hit? Well, here are a few helpful tips to cut cravings at night.

1. The Infamous Water Trick

As much as you may not want water as bad as you want a donut or some other delicious snack at night, try drinking some water first. You'll be surprised how this may diminsh your craving.

2. Eat healthy satisfiers

If you just can't fight the urge, eat healthy alternatives for snacks, instead of the not so healthy options. Some examples are, rice cakes + peanut/almond/cashew butter, dessert hummus, low glycemic fruit (i.e. berries, watermelon, oranges), nuts, raw veggies + hummus or greek yogurt.

3. Make sure you get enough carbohydrates during the day

Cravings are one of our body's ways of telling us "HEY!, I didn't get enough of something today." So sometimes, if you are craving, especially at night, you might not have gotten enough nutrients during the day.

Having a nutrition regimen that fits your actvity level (whether that is low or high) is very important. So check what you're eating during the day and see if making some adjustments helps.

4. Count your Z's

Check your sleep patterns. Your body is a machine. It is used to doing certain things at certain times. If you are not getting enough sleep, your circadian rhythms can be thrown off and your body can think it is time to eat at times when it's not. Getting proper rest on a consistent basis can help make sure your body's internal clock is set correctly, which can help cut down on the signals your body may send to the brain telling it it's time to eat .

5. Workout Earlier and Be Prepared

Working out too late can cause you to burn up the little bit of energy your body had left over from the day. The later you workout, the more chances you have of depleting your energy stores, so your body is naturally going to want to refill them. If you have a post-workout meal already made, that's great! But if not, snacks and junk food can be a much quicker and more delectable choice after a long day of business.

So be sure to stay prepared if you are going to workout later, or... try getting it in a little earlier.

P.S. Workouts close to bed time, can interrupt your sleep.