We are well aware of those mid-night hunger pangs. Aren't we? We often take those quick tours to the kitchen or refrigerator to look for something to binge late at night. But these late night cravings often lead to several lifestyle problems, especially uncontrolled weight gain. Did you know that this may affect your professional life too? Yes, you read it right. A new study has found that unhealthy eating behaviour at night may affect our work the next day. This study, conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University, was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
"For the first time, we have shown that healthy eating immediately affects our workplace behaviors and performance," says Seonghee "Sophia" Cho, corresponding author of the study.
The researchers conducted the study on 97 full-time employees in the United States, where they had to answer a series of questions, three times a day, for 10 consecutive workdays. As per a report published on the official website of North Carolina State University, "In the context of the study, researchers defined "unhealthy eating" as instances when study participants felt they'd eaten too much junk food; when participants felt they'd had too much to eat or drink; or when participants reporting having too many late-night snacks."
Also Read: Mind The Midnight Munchies: 5 Shocking Side-Effects Of Eating Late At Night
It was found that people who indulged in unhealthy diet reported some physical problems the next morning such as headache, stomachache and diarrhea. This further led to their emotional strains (feeling guilty) - which finally resulted in disruption of work for the whole day.
However, it was also found that people who coped up with the emotional stress were less likely to suffer from the adversities of unhealthy eating.
Also Read: Feel Hungry All The Time? This List Will Tell You Why.
Besides establishing the fact that unhealthy eating can have almost immediate effects on workplace performance, the researchers also stated that there no single 'healthy' diet per say; a healthy eating habit completely depends on individual's dietary needs.