I have a bit of a strange problem that has no doubt contributed to my weight gain over the years. Ever since I can remember I get very strong cravings for sweet foods in the middle of the night. They are so strong that I end up getting up and looking for biscuits and chocolate or anything remotely sweet. Once I eat, I sleep soundly for the rest of the night.
I remember once, when I was about 8 year old, getting up in the middle of the night and searching for something sweet. The only thing I could find was a tin of peaches and in my half asleep state I got my finger stuck between the lid and the base of the tin while trying to open it. There was blood everywhere and my screaming woke up my family and of course alerted them to my little problem... I mean, who eats tinned fruit in the middle of the night?
The weird(er) thing is that I actually don't like sweet food very much, on a normal day I would take a pizza, hot chips or a hamburger over chocolate every time. I hate overly sweet things like lollies, jelly beans, meringue and caramel and would never buy them. Yet, when it comes to middle of the night cravings, I'll eat any sweet things I can find. The sweeter, the better.
Over the years it has gotten worse and I now ask my flatmate to hide any sweet food we have in the house so I won't eat it in the middle of the night. I have to say that I don't do it every night and sometimes I will go weeks without the urge. I have been doing well this week with stopping myself from midnight eating, but it has been tough and has taken some serious self control not to eat a whole packet of Weight Watchers chocolate muffins. I do really want to beat this because it makes me feel revolting when I wake up in the morning and I hate feeling so out of control. Does this happen to anyone else?
Does your craving wake you up? That's wierd - our bodies are supposed to secrete a hormone in our sleep to suppress appetite.
ReplyDeleteMaybe have a word with your doctor.
If I drink alcohol, I always wake up from a sugar crash in the middle of the night.
ReplyDeleteA glass of fruit juice by your bed is supposed to help replace the sugar and send you off to sleep. It makes sense but I haven't tried it yet!
I think we all have our little things that bug us! I know I used to crave sweet foods morning, noon and night - I managed to put a stop to it by going back to having a teaspoon of sugar in my coffee - I find that if my coffee is sweet I don't crave for anything else! I think being conscious of the problem is the first step to solving it.
ReplyDeleteI am reading this thinking "Oh the poor girl! That would SUCK!" Please keep in mind I am eating an entire 5 ounce box of milk duds and sipping on a 20 ounce glass full of Bacardi Bahama Mama. No really. I have no idea what you are talking about.... :)
ReplyDeletethis doesnt happen to me personally, but my dad gets up every single night and eats something sweet, like candy bars or cookies, and then has something to drink, juice, and sometimes chips. never fails, every night. i think its such a habit to him now that he can't or won't stop.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever considered getting your glucose levels checked???
ReplyDeleteI heard somewhere once that if you feel like something sweet have a small slice of cheese, it helps the craving.
Personally I do hve these crvings too but I have a insulin problem too. I would try the fruit juice, but i get indigestion from acidic things or maybe a couple of fennel seeds to chew on may help. Or a prune, sweet but not too bad??
I don't have this particular problem, but we all have our quirks.
ReplyDeleteMine was eating a giant bowl (realistically 3 bowls worth) of plain, steamed rice every sunday. Weird, yes. But also a habit that was hard to break.
Perhaps a tube of fruit tingles or those jelly jubes next to your bed would help? You could pop one in your mouth just as you wake up, an slowly suck on it until you go back to sleep?