You finished dinner a few hours ago and now your stomach is starting to growl.
That means it's time for a late night snack. If you're like most people,
you're probably reaching for potato chips, chocolate, or some other processed treat.
But according to experts, there's a better option: eggs.
You probably only think of them as a breakfast food, but it turns out that eating eggs right
before bed could actually have a few crucial benefits for your body. Everyone from dietitians
to celebrities like Chrissy Teigen love enjoying this protein-packed superfood in the evening.
Here are a few reasons why you might want to swap your Doritos
for a plate of scrambled eggs the next time you're reaching for a midnight snack.
The protein in eggs can help you sleep better. Typical night time snacks tend to be high in carbs
and fat and low in protein, which isn't doing your sleep any favors. Eggs, on the other hand,
are a great source of protein, which can help you sleep deeper and longer. According to Well+Good,
six grams of protein — the equivalent of one egg — is the perfect amount to keep
your blood sugar balanced overnight. This will help you sleep undisturbed, whereas
carby, fatty snacks cause blood sugar spikes that can wake you up throughout the night.
A study by Purdue University found that people who consumed more protein over a period of four months
reported a better quality of sleep. Not only that, but research from Science Daily
suggests that eating protein right before bed can also lead to more muscle protein
synthesis while you sleep. And if you love lifting weights, that means serious gains.
Eggs are also easy for your body to digest, according to Joseph Murray, a gastroenterologist
with the Mayo Clinic. He tells Men's Health that this is important when you're heading to bed,
because your body won't be trying to digest something heavy or fibrous
while you're trying to fall asleep. And here's an extra tip from Dr. Murray:
a scrambled egg will be easier for your body to process than a hard-boiled one.
According to LiveStrong, egg whites are especially easy on the stomach for most people, so if you're
someone who struggles with digestion, you might want to skip the yolk. Be sure to cook them fully,
as the CDC says raw egg can upset your stomach and put you at risk for salmonella poisoning. And the
National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases recommends that you finish your
eggs two to three hours before bed, so your body can digest them before you fall asleep.
Even celebrities are getting in on the egg trend. Supermodel Chrissy Teigen recently
tweeted about her "night eggs," saying it's her daily bedtime ritual. She explained:
"I can't sleep without being overly full. I take two hard-boiled eggs to bed
every night and eat them when I randomly wake up."
She even shared a video on Instagram, walking fans through her process for making what she
calls her "world famous" night eggs. She boils and peels them with the "slam and roll technique,"
which involves slamming the egg on a cutting board and then rolling it around to loosen the shell.
Then she slices it, sprinkles it with sea salt, and takes it to the bedroom.
"Tell me that's not the perfect f------ egg."
Teigen also wrote out the recipe for night eggs on her own Cravings blog. She wrote:
"If there is one food I have formed a true dependency on, it's my night eggs. It started as a
healthy 'snack' to cure my midnight cravings, but now they've become a part of my evening ritual."
It's not just the protein in eggs that can help you sleep — both the whites and the yolk
also contain nutrients and antioxidants that improve snoozing, according to Healthline.
One of these is melatonin, known as the sleep hormone, which naturally occurs in your body
to regulate your circadian rhythm. It's one of the first things people reach for when
they're struggling with sleep. Eggs are one of the foods that are highest in melatonin,
according to research published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Eggs also contain high levels of tryptophan, especially in the yolks. Healthline explains
that tryptophan is an essential amino acid that serves many purposes in the body, one of which
is to increase the production of melatonin. That means that the more tryptophan you consume,
the more sleep you can get. So the next time you're reaching for a midnight snack,
a heaping plate of eggs might be your best bet.
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