Late-night munching might not only sabotage your weight-loss efforts but can also have a detrimental impact on your work efficiency.
According to a new study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, people who reported eating unhealthy snacks late at night struggled to operate as a team the next day. North Carolina State University researchers invited 97 full-time employees in the United States to answer a set of questionnaires three times a day for ten days.
Participants were asked how they felt physically and emotionally before the workday started and what they accomplished by the conclusion of the day. The individuals kept track of what they ate and drank after work before going to bed.
"Unhealthy eating" was used in this study to characterize times when participants thought they'd overindulged in food or drink, had too much junk food in particular, or had too many late-night snacks. What did the scientists discover? Those who engaged in bad eating habits were more likely to experience physical and mental problems the next day.
Headaches, stomachaches, and diarrhoea were among the most common physical complaints. Participants who had overindulged the night before reported feeling guilty and ashamed about what they had eaten mentally. These people also said changes in their work conduct, claiming they were less likely to go the "additional mile" for coworkers.
Participants who engaged in bad eating habits, on the other hand, felt more at ease retreating, avoiding work-related events despite being at work.
The study's corresponding author, Seonghee "Sophia" Cho, an assistant professor of psychology at North Carolina State University, said in a statement, "The big point here is that we now know poor diet can have practically immediate repercussions on professional performance."
"However, we may also claim that there is no such thing as a "healthy" diet, and that eating well is about more than just nutrition. It could be influenced by a person's nutritional demands, or even when and how they consume, rather than what they eat."
Subjects better equipped to manage stress had fewer negative consequences from poor eating habits than those more emotionally volatile. Overall, individuals who overindulged in food or drink (or both) the night before work reported significant changes in their behavior the next day at work.