Dental Tip - Avoid Nighttime Snacking
According to American and Danish researches, when you eat is as important to your health as what you eat.
For years, late night eating has been linked to one of the greatest American pandemics, obesity (NY Times).
New research also shows the correlation between late night dining and tooth decay.
Studies conducted by researches at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Copenhagen University has proven that eating food late at night contributes to tooth loss.
" The study involved assessing the medical data collected from 2,217 men and women aged 30 to 60.
Researchers reviewed the behavior of the groups for two different time periods (1987/88 and 1993/94) and evaluated the oral health, eating behavior, general health and other characteristics of participants.
Their work focused in on the eight percent (173 total) of participants that were classified as "nocturnal eaters" because of their habits of snacking in the middle of the night at least twice a week and for their decision to eat the majority of their calories late at night.
When comparing the data gathered for the studies different time periods, the late night eaters at experience more dental problems including tooth loss than conventional eaters.
If you are a self-professed nocturnal eater (or your partner has started to notice some unusual nighttime activity) your teeth could benefit from behavior modifications such as:
Prescription sleep aids have been associated with sleepwalking.
According to WebMD nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder (NS-RED) is not as common as sleepwalking, however the condition does occur and people.
While in a deep sleep, people have been known to prepare and eat full meals and then have no memories of the incident.
Another condition that can affect dental health is Night Eating Syndrome (NES).
Unlike NS-RED, NES sufferers are fully aware of their nighttime eating habits.
Often, they cannot fall asleep without the assistance of food.
WebMD reports that they hybrid sleep and eating disorders can affect one to three percent of the general population.
Additionally 10 to 15 percent of people with eating disorders are affected by sleep-related eating disorders and the condition is more common among women.
For years, late night eating has been linked to one of the greatest American pandemics, obesity (NY Times).
New research also shows the correlation between late night dining and tooth decay.
Studies conducted by researches at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Copenhagen University has proven that eating food late at night contributes to tooth loss.
" The study involved assessing the medical data collected from 2,217 men and women aged 30 to 60.
Researchers reviewed the behavior of the groups for two different time periods (1987/88 and 1993/94) and evaluated the oral health, eating behavior, general health and other characteristics of participants.
Their work focused in on the eight percent (173 total) of participants that were classified as "nocturnal eaters" because of their habits of snacking in the middle of the night at least twice a week and for their decision to eat the majority of their calories late at night.
When comparing the data gathered for the studies different time periods, the late night eaters at experience more dental problems including tooth loss than conventional eaters.
If you are a self-professed nocturnal eater (or your partner has started to notice some unusual nighttime activity) your teeth could benefit from behavior modifications such as:
- Stopping late night snacking.
- If your work schedule is not conducive to your eating schedule then immediately make efforts improve your oral hygiene care.
- Late night eaters need to brush and floss their teeth regularly throughout the day however.
- Late night eaters need to brush after eating and before going to bed.
- Nocturnal eaters should sip clean, fresh water during the day to reduce acid build up on teeth.
Prescription sleep aids have been associated with sleepwalking.
According to WebMD nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder (NS-RED) is not as common as sleepwalking, however the condition does occur and people.
While in a deep sleep, people have been known to prepare and eat full meals and then have no memories of the incident.
Another condition that can affect dental health is Night Eating Syndrome (NES).
Unlike NS-RED, NES sufferers are fully aware of their nighttime eating habits.
Often, they cannot fall asleep without the assistance of food.
WebMD reports that they hybrid sleep and eating disorders can affect one to three percent of the general population.
Additionally 10 to 15 percent of people with eating disorders are affected by sleep-related eating disorders and the condition is more common among women.