Why is Nighttime Snacking So Different

After a long hard day, there's nothing like sitting down in front of the TV with a bowl of your favorite snacks.  And once that bowl is empty, you wonder, why am I still hungry?

Scientists at Brigham Young University believe they have the answer.  It's because some areas of your brain don't get that same feeling of satisfaction in the evening than they do during the rest of the day.

Scientists say they discovered that by using MRIs to see how the brain responds to images of high and low calorie foods at various times.

At night, there's not the same reward related brain reactivity to snacks, particularly those higher in calories, which explains why people eat more to make up for that lack of food high that occurs regularly during other parts of the day.

What's more, people also tend to be interested with eating at night even though they aren't any more hungry or feeling less full than the morning or afternoon.