Midnight snacking is one of the adventurous activity in the night as the journey starts from our bed to the fridge or kitchen feels like a thrill. Research shows that the late-night snacking is not a good idea. If this is regular habit of eating before bed, it can affect not just the size of your waist but also affects your teeth.
Why people have too much craving of food in late night..??
There are many reasons like environmental factors such as late night TV, work/studying, insomnia, nutritional imbalance. Physiological & psychological factors such as feeling alone, lack of self-esteem, depression.
A nocturnal diet can lead to periodontal diseases and tooth decay because of taking a high rich carbohydrates, sugars and starches food which contributes to the production of plaque. Even, it can cause tooth enamel to break down, forming a cavity.
Many studies show that there are many genes which regulate our metabolism according to a full day. At day time, we have full metabolic activities but in night our body needs rest. If you are eating at any time, there’s may be problem with your genes because genes are not playing a certain role either completely on or off. Our body has its own internal clock. So, cutting off your food consumption after a certain hour is probably not a bad idea.
One more reason to know, when we are going to sleep our salivary glands are supposed to stop. This causes our oral cavity dry due to no saliva flow which clean our food debris & not to form plaque. Eating at mid night will leave food particles on the teeth which may leads to decay tooth & gum diseases.
If you are continuously eating in mid night, you may lead to gain a long term weight or obesity. Obesity is also one of the most common reason of gum diseases. Periodontal disease is worse, and harder to treat, in patients that are overweight due to inflammation throughout the body and a strain on the immune system.
Many people think that if we brush again after snacking?
When we brush our teeth, there still remain some tiny food bits. Our saliva removes those little particles and cleans our food debris. However, our body produces less saliva in night and so it may lead to produce bacteria on our teeth.
How to stop it?
- Eating a 3 balanced meals a day.
- If you’re hungry during the night, take fresh fruit just before bed.
- Consume more water for at least an hour before bed.
- Floss and brush your teeth at night before you sleep.
- Visit your dentist regularly for checkups.
For more information you can visit at Dr. Sachdeva’s Clinic, best dental clinic in Ashok Vihar. We’ll assess you to provide a preventive service for your oral health with healthier smile in no time.
