Digestion and gut: are sweet snacks harmful during night coding?

When a deadline is approaching and it is already late at night outside, programmers often rescue themselves with sweets: chocolate bars, cookies, candies, or sweet carbonated drinks. In the short term, this provides a quick burst of energy due to a sharp spike in blood sugar levels, but for the gut and the general condition of the body, this is a real test.

Fast carbohydrates and refined sugar serve as an ideal nutrient medium for pathogenic bacteria and fungi living in the gut. With regular consumption of such food, the balance of the microbiome shifts in an unfavorable direction. Beneficial lacto- and bifidobacteria begin to die off, giving way to harmful microflora, which provokes inflammatory processes in the intestinal mucosa.

This imbalance inevitably affects well-being: chronic fatigue and brain fog appear, productivity drops, and immunity worsens. In addition, nighttime sweets and cookies cause sharp fluctuations in insulin, which disrupts the body's natural biorhythms and prevents full recovery during sleep.

If you cannot avoid nighttime energy boosts, sweets should be replaced with healthier alternatives.