Scientists have discovered that nighttime binges are the result of a complex cocktail of biology, psychology and habits that turns your brain into a “hungry zombie.”
The reasons will be more unexpected than you think.
Hormonal Trap
At night, cortisol levels drop and melatonin prepares your body for sleep. But if you're awake, this imbalance triggers a surge in ghrelin, the hunger hormone.
A study from the University of Chicago found that people who went to bed 2 hours later than usual had a 28% increase in ghrelin.
The confused body requires quick energy: fatty, sweet, salty. At the same time, leptin, responsible for satiety, is “silent” - you eat, but do not feel full.
Insulin swings
At night, metabolism slows down, and the pancreas copes worse with the load.
If you ate a lot of carbohydrates during the day, your glucose levels drop sharply by midnight.
The brain perceives this as a threat and triggers an emergency signal: “Eat urgently!”
Johns Hopkins scientists have found that people with insulin resistance experience night-time hunger pangs three times more often.
The body tries to stabilize the sugar, but instead of an apple, you choose a cookie - the cycle repeats.
Psychological triggers
Night reduces self-control: the prefrontal cortex, responsible for rational decisions, “switches off.”
The stress accumulated during the day seeks an outlet through dopamine surges - and food is the most accessible source.
A UCLA study found that 68% of people eat at night not because they're hungry, but because they're bored or anxious.
Social media makes the problem worse: Watching food ads in bed increases snacking desire by 45%, Stanford found.
Nutrient deficiency
If you don't eat enough protein or fiber during the day, your body starts to panic at night.
Protein breaks down slowly, maintaining satiety for 4-6 hours, and its absence makes the brain demand “fuel” here and now.
People on low-calorie diets are more likely to suffer from nighttime breakdowns: their body tries to make up for the lack of energy through calorie “raids”.
Circadian rhythm disorder
Light from gadgets suppresses the production of melatonin, throwing off the internal clock. The body confuses day and night, triggering daytime metabolic processes.
A Harvard study confirmed that participants who read on a tablet before bed ate 250 calories more than those who avoided screens.
Their brains literally believed that it was morning - time for breakfast.
Genetic background
15% of people have a mutation in the CLOCK gene, which regulates eating behavior.
Carriers of this mutation eat twice as often at night, even if they are not hungry.
Their bodies mistakenly perceive darkness as a signal to search for food, just like their ancient ancestors who went hunting at dusk.
Conclusion
Night hunger is not always a person's fault. It is a war between evolution, hormones and the modern pace of life.
But understanding the causes is the first step to control.
Author: Dmitry Bobrov
