
CRUSH Food Cravings in 5 Easy Steps
I just read your article that talked about how eating late at night can cause you to gain weight. My problem is that about an hour or so after dinner, I’m always starving again! Is there anything I can do to beat these late-night cravings?
–Susan H.
Dr. G: If you find yourself reaching for a bag of chips, or scooping up a bowl of ice cream every night, that’s a big, flashing sign that your hormones are out of whack.
I know that most people don’t think about hormones in relation to eating, but you should.
Hormones like insulin, leptin, and ghrelin send important signals between your belly and your brain that tell you when to eat—and importantly, when to stop.
If your hormones aren’t working properly, the signals get jammed, and the result is that “hungry-all-the-time, never-quite-satisfied” feeling. I also call it “the munchies.”
For example, leptin is known as the satiety hormone. It sends signals to your brain to tell you when you’re full.
The problem is that loading up on sugar, processed foods, and flour interrupts that important signal. And if your brain doesn’t get the message, it won’t tell you to stop eating.
Insulin plays a role too. When insulin goes up and down because of eating too much sugar, it makes you hungry all the time.
Talk about a double whammy!
To make matters even worse, the hunger hormone (called ghrelin) gets triggered when we’re sleep deprived. That means that staying up late and/or not getting enough sleep will tell your brain that your tummy is hungry—even when it’s not.
Looks like that double whammy just turned into a triple threat!
The good news is that balancing these hormones helps beat cravings and prevent late-night eating.
Here are 5 steps that can help you do just that:
- Eat a high-protein breakfast.
- Eat three meals a day and avoid snacking. This helps balance your blood sugar.
- Get adequate sleep. When we’re sleep deprived, the hunger hormone goes up, and the satiety hormones go down.
- Don’t eat right before you go to sleep. Going to bed right after you eat will cause you to store fat instead of processing it or burning it.
- Finally, get plenty of sunlight. Vitamin D helps to regulate hormones and balance insulin.
To a brighter day,
Dr. Richard Gerhauser, M.D.

Written By Dr. Richard Gerhauser, M.D.
For years he’s been the trusted doctor for celebrities, world-class athletes, and countless seniors looking to reclaim their health.
And now…for the first time ever… he’s making his medical breakthroughs available to readers all across America.
Dr. Richard Gerhauser, M.D. is one of the most pioneering and innovative minds in medicine today – and he delivers cutting-edge cures each month through his Natural Health Response newsletter.
Natural Health Response readers get full access to Dr. Gerhauser’s protocols for chronic pain… heart disease… diabetes… Alzheimer’s… and even cancer. These are the very same treatments Dr. Gerhauser recommends to his own patients at his practice in Tucson, Arizona.
In addition to being a board-certified medical doctor, Dr. Gerhauser has earned two master’s degrees and has served as a clinical professor at the University of Arizona.
And as a physician at the world-famous Canyon Ranch, Dr. Gerhauser treated celebrities from around the world who paid dearly for the type of next-generation health information he provides Natural Health Response readers each month.
View More Free Articles
Shed Stubborn Belly Fat NATURALLY
The kids are back at school. September is drawing to a close. And summer is firmly in the review mirror. That means the holidays are right around the corner. They’ll be here before you know it. And with them, all the tempting treats that cause us to pack on the pounds. But THIS could be...
7 Habits SLASH Depression Risk
You don’t want to end up with depression. And it’s not just your mood you need to worry about. Depression affects your job, relationships, and your very outlook on life. Unlike some other conditions, prescription drugs to treat it are notoriously INEFFECTIVE. They call it “treatment-resistant” depression—as if it’s the condition’s fault that the drug...
How to SURVIVE a Heart Attack
My goal is for you to never have a heart attack. And if you put my health tips into practice, you’ll be SLASHING your odds of ever having one. But if you do end up being one of the 800,000 Americans who will suffer from a heart attack this year, I want to share something...
Natural DNA Hack SHIELDS You Against Aging
Being taller doesn’t make you live longer… but having longer telomeres DOES. Telomeres are the tips on the ends of your DNA strands that protect them… Kind of like the plastic tip at the end of a shoelace (technically called aglets). If the aglet falls off, the shoelaces typically start to fray and can deteriorate...
Drug-Free RELIEF for Painful Indigestion
Some health issues have an impact on your life. Others, like indigestion, attack your QUALITY of life. Common symptoms like bloating, nausea, and stomach pain can sideline you. They make you miss out on the things you love and leave you miserable. But if you battle indigestion, I have some FANTASTIC news. Researchers uncovered a...
ONE Move Dials DOWN Dementia Risk
When it comes to your health, you’re either building it up or tearing it down. The same is true of your brain. The dramatic rise in dementia and Alzheimer’s over the past few decades is NOT due to bad luck or bad genes… but bad choices. But this is good news because it means YOU’RE...
Superfood Sends Diabetes Risk PLUMMETING
If it’s not a drug, modern medicine downplays its impact. Unfortunately, the idea that food can be used as medicine isn’t taken seriously. Or worse, it’s outright dismissed. It’s a tragedy and an outrage. After all, healthy foods are brimming with potent nutrients, every bit as powerful as any drug in the pharmacy. These “natural...
5 VITAL Reasons to Get MORE Vitamin D
If you’re a regular Natural Health Today reader, you ALREADY know I’m a BIG fan of sunlight. Getting plenty of sunshine throughout your day sets your circadian rhythm, translating to better sleep, metabolism, energy levels, and more. Sunlight is also, hands down, the BEST source of vitamin D. Why would you want to load up...
Don't Ignore This Bedroom WARNING (ED Red Flag!)
Men, if you find yourself suffering from erectile dysfunction (ED), you want solutions. FAST. And I get it. Regardless of your age, it’s a disturbing condition. But today, I have a warning for you. New research reveals that instead of seeing ED as merely a problem that needs fixing, you should see it as a...
This "Healthy" Diet Food Could KILL
Yesterday, I told you about new research revealing that obesity-related heart deaths have tripled in recent years. If this has you thinking about ways to reduce the number on the scale, great! But if you’re considering choosing sugar-free, zero-calorie packaged diet foods made with sugar substitutes… That’s NOT the way to do it. Sugar substitutes...