Exposing the medical myth: "Don't eat before bed"

I remember from when I was very young, my parents told me it was unhealthy to eat before bed. They only used it as an excuse to keep me from asking for last-minute helpings of ice cream, but when I got older, I believed in the idea, because the logic seems to make sense. In short, the theory is that your body won't use your late-night snack as fuel because you'll be sleeping -- thus converting it to fat, which would result in weight gain.

Apparently, this is a myth -- our bodies process food in the same way whether we're asleep or awake.

While one doctor notes the possibility of some correlation between late-night eating and weight gain, this is most-likely because it's more difficult to control portions at night than it is during the day, or it's due to the fact that a midnight snack is probably full of calories that you body didn't need in the first place.

So if you're watching your weight, make sure to keep an eye on your calorie intake, and get plenty of exercise -- but don't watch the clock. You can eat whenever you want.