You get home late, hungry enough to eat a full plate. Maybe you have spent the whole of the day moving from place to place, or traffic held you up longer than usual. Either way, you walk in, spot the leftover jollof in the kitchen, and before long you’re eating.

For many Nigerians, a late-night meal could mean rice and chicken, pepper soup, suya or a well-served swallow. Trouble tends to show up when a heavy meal is followed almost immediately by sleep. Eating late once in a while won’t hurt most people, but large portions, spicy dishes and greasy foods can leave you too full, bring on heartburn or worsen acid reflux once you lie down. If this happens to you often, try finishing a substantial meal about three hours before bed.

Pounded Yam and Other Heavy Swallows

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Pounded yam, eba and fufu are regular features at most Nigerian dinner table, and paired with egusi, ogbono or a rich vegetable soup, they make for a meal that keeps you full for hours.

That’s fine earlier in the day, when you still have hours ahead of you. But during the night, a large serving can leave your stomach still working overtime. A sizeable portion, oily soup and plenty of meat only add to that load, and going straight from the dining table to bed can raise the odds of discomfort or reflux, especially if you already deal with it.

Jollof Rice With Fried Meat

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Jollof rice holds a notable spot in Nigerian food culture, and for good reason. It becomes an issue when a late-night plate turns into a mountain of rice, fried chicken, beef and a few extra sides for good measure.

Fried meat and other oily additions push up the fat content of the meal, and high-fat foods tend to slow digestion and trigger heartburn in some people. Eating a heavy plate and lying straight down afterwards only makes it worse. If you get home late and yesterday’s jollof is all that’s in the fridge, go ahead and eat it, nobody’s saying otherwise. Just dish out a smaller portion and give yourself time before bed, rather than piling your plate minutes before you sleep.

Suya

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Few things are more tempting on a Nigerian evening than the smell of freshly grilled suya. You stop by the roadside, order a portion, and within minutes the meat is gone.

At bedtime, though, suya’s mix of fatty meat, seasoning and plenty of pepper can work against you. For anyone sensitive to spicy food, that familiar peppery kick can turn into heartburn or indigestion later in the night. Timing matters here too: suya at 11 pm followed by bed hits differently than suya eaten earlier in the evening. If pepper tends to unsettle your stomach at night, have your suya earlier and go easy on the extra pepper.

Pepper Soup

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Pepper soup sounds like the lighter option depending on how it’s made, but Nigerian pepper soup can also pack serious heat.

If you’re prone to heartburn or acid reflux, a very spicy bowl shortly before bed isn’t the wisest choice, lying down tends to make the discomfort worse. There’s also a real gap between a mild bowl of fish pepper soup and one loaded with pepper, spices and oil, so how yours is usually prepared matters.

Akara and Other Deep Fried Snacks

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Akara and puff puff are easy to reach for when you’re hungry but don’t want to cook a proper meal, and pair either one with bread and you’ve got a quick, low effort dinner.

Deep fried foods are high in fat and a large amount close to bedtime tends to leave you feeling heavy and uncomfortable. They can also trigger heartburn in some people. A few pieces with bread late at night can add up to a much heavier meal than it looks.

What Can You Eat If You Are Hungry at Night?

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Nobody wants to lie in bed listening to their stomach growl. If you’re genuinely hungry, a small snack is usually easier on your system than a full plate.

A piece of fruit, plain yoghurt, a little oatmeal or a small handful of nuts make good lighter options, enough to take the edge off your hunger without turning midnight into a second dinner. And if heartburn or reflux is something you deal with regularly, pay attention to what tends to set it off, not everyone reacts to the same foods.

Still, that’s no reason to give up pounded yam, jollof, suya, pepper soup or akara. They’re everyday foods, not forbidden ones. What actually makes the difference at night is portion size, how the food was prepared and how close to bedtime you eat it. Sometimes the simplest fix is just eating earlier. If dinner is going to be heavy, give your body enough time to digest before you go to bed.