I heard on a talk show a while back that if people eat their last meal 4 hours before they go to bed that they have less trouble brought on by food during the night (acid reflux, gas, sleeplessness, etc.). She said that if we eat close to bedtime our body is working so hard to digest that it is harder for many people to sleep. She also said that eating close to bedtime without giving your system proper time to digest that the food turns to fat instead of being used for energy and such. So, she suggested that a person allow 4 hours for their system to digest food before going to bed. If you go to bed at 10pm, then try to eat your last meal at 6pm.

I have a lot of trouble falling asleep at night and sleeping well, so I thought I'd try her suggestion. And the last few nights I have slept much better and been able to fall asleep pretty quickly. It's amazing to me how changing such a simple habit of eating later in the evening can change how you sleep. I sure like being able to sleep! And as soon as my little son starts sleeping through the night, I'll be in good shape. =)