Your nighttime snacks could be causing you to pack on the pounds

After a long day, do you head to the couch and relax in front of your favorite shows — but not without grabbing a bag of chips, a bowl of ice cream, or some other beloved munchies?

You’re not alone.

Nighttime eating is an easy habit to fall into, and a pretty common one, according to the National Institute of Health. But — especially if you’re someone who’s trying to lose weight — you may have heard that it’s something you should give up.

One study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that nighttime noshers eat more frequently and consume more calories in a 24-hour period than those who don’t. But does that translate into weight gain?

Not necessarily, say the experts.

“I don’t believe eating late at night makes people gain weight,” says Courtney Stinson, a Michigan-based registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Savor Life Nutrition & Wellness. “Being overweight is attributed to what you eat and how much you eat,” rather than the time of day you eat it, she adds.

In other words, pay more attention to the snacks that you choose, rather than stressing about shutting down the kitchen before bed. After all, at the end of a long day, you’re tired and potentially less likely to make healthy choices, especially if all you have on hand are carb-heavy, sugary, or salty snack foods. And those would have a negative effect on your health and weight no matter when you ate them.

“If you look around your average grocery store you can see that a much larger percent of the store is taken up by packaged foods that contribute to our waistlines, but not much in the way of nourishment. Stores stock these foods because these foods sell,” says Stinson. Better picks for nighttime eating include whole-grain cereal with milk, apple slices with peanut butter, or a banana and yogurt — all foods with good nutritional value and that constitute a light but filling bite before bed.

“I’d advise against eating large meals and going straight to bed. Sleep is important for our bodies to rest and recuperate. If our bodies are busy digesting dinner, then we aren’t getting the highest quality sleep possible,” says Stinson.

And since we all know how important sleep is, that may be an even more compelling reason to break your nighttime snacking habit. But even if you can’t, as long as you stay away from junk food, you shouldn’t feel too guilty.

“Health-wise, I don’t think eating late at night is terrible and it won’t make you gain weight,” says Stinson.