Me personally... no, I don't eat during the night time while sleeping. But I do know many who do... for purposes of keeping acid/bile reflux at bay. They seem to do the opposite of how most of us esophagectomy patients prepare for bedtime... by not eating within a couple of hours of bedtime. Many fear aspiration (as well as severe reflux events) in the middle of the night, even while sleeping at 30 to 45 degrees. So they want their stomachs as empty as possible.

But on our Zoom calls, some esophagectomy patients have come to find that the opposite approach works somewhat better for them. They eat a certain type of meal right at bedtime... to fill their stomachs full... which keeps their stomachs busy, keeping the acid down in their stomachs and less likely to be free to come up. Should they wake up... they eat more. Does this approach work all the time? Probably not... but they do notice better results... and so they continue this way.

Me... after about 2 years I noticed my reflux events had dropped off significantly... and I've never aspirated. I sleep normally again as well... flat with my head on a single pillow, and can sleep on either side. No clue why this works for me... but I'll gladly take it. I'm about 5 years post-op now.

Be well.