Updated October 13, 2025 10:40AM<\/p>\n
The best time to eat dinner has been debated for years. Some claim an early meal is ideal, while others say you\u2019re just fine eating when the mood strikes.<\/p>\n
While many people are just trying to squeeze dinner into their busy schedule, it makes sense to\u00a0also want to eat at the optimal time for your health.<\/p>\n
You might be wondering whether or not it\u2019s OK to eat late at night or if you should aim to eat your last meal well before bedtime. And you may ask yourself if it\u2019s a problem to have a late-night snack<\/a>\u00a0just before hitting the sheets.<\/p>\n According to nutritionists, it turns out there\u2019s some flexibility regarding the optimal time to eat dinner. While there\u2019s no definitive \u201cbest\u201d time, experts agree that there is a better time to eat your last meal of the day. Here\u2019s what they suggest and how to make your meal schedule work for you.<\/p>\n The Best Time to Eat Dinner<\/p>\n A 2022 study published in the journal Cell Metabolism<\/a> found that people who are overweight or obese and eat dinner at 5 P.M. burn about 60 more calories at rest than those who eat at 9 P.M.\u00a0Eating later in the evening also produces higher levels of hunger hormones like ghrelin, meaning that people who eat dinner closer to bedtime tend to feel hungrier.<\/p>\n Based on those findings, the researchers determined that eating between 5 P.M. and 7 P.M.\u00a0is ideal for people concerned about weight management.<\/p>\n A 2021 study published in the journal Nutrients<\/a> found that eating dinner earlier, around 6 P.M., can stabilize blood glucose levels compared to eating at 9 P.M., which lowers the risk of developing conditions like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Results also indicated that eating dinner earlier can boost metabolism, potentially lowering the chance of weight gain.<\/p>\n Most importantly, eating earlier means you\u2019re less likely to trigger gastrointestinal discomfort. \u201cI recommend eating dinner at least two to three hours before you plan to go to bed so that you have time to digest the food and have it moving past the stomach,\u201d says Dana Ellis Hunnes<\/a>, a senior dietitian at UCLA Medical Center and assistant professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. \u201cIf you go to bed with a full stomach, you might be more likely to experience reflux (a condition where stomach contents go back up into the esophagus), which can be very unpleasant.\u201d<\/p>\n Reflux can cause chest pain, nausea, swallowing problems, and difficulty sleeping due to discomfort.<\/p>\n How to Figure Out the Best Time to Eat Dinner\u2014According to Your Daily Schedule<\/p>\n It\u2019s usually helpful to look at your eating schedule as a whole when trying to figure out the best time to eat dinner to keep yourself from getting overly hungry and maintain stable blood sugar levels, according to Patrice Paolella<\/a>, a lecturer in the Department of Clinical and Preventive Nutrition Sciences at Rutgers University.<\/p>\n \u201cBase the timing of meals on your first meal of the day and allow three to four hours to pass before your next meal or snack,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n For example, let\u2019s say you have your first meal of the day at 9 A.M. and plan to be in bed by 9 P.M. You would have lunch at 1 P.M., eat a small snack at 4 P.M., and then have dinner at 6 P.M. But if your first meal is at 11 A.M., and you tend to go to bed around 10 P.M., you may want to push dinner back to 7 P.M., she says.<\/p>\n Here Is My Optimal Dinner Time. Use This as a Guide to Figure Out Yours.<\/p>\n Because I wake up at 5 A.M. to exercise before my four kids get up and like to go to bed at 9:30 P.M. to try to get at least seven hours of sleep, this is what my ideal meal schedule would look like according to Paolella\u2019s advice:<\/p>\n Wake up at 5 A.M. My current schedule is similar to this, although I usually have a hearty snack between lunch and dinner\u2014and dinnertime can vary, depending on the kids\u2019 activities.<\/p>\n If you happen to have the odd meal outside of these parameters,\u00a0there\u2019s no need to panic\u2014it just raises the odds that you may experience reflux, indigestion, or gas. But even that isn\u2019t a guarantee.<\/p>\n Should You Eat Lighter Meals Later in the Day?<\/p>\n Some research<\/a> suggests that front-loading your day\u2019s calories can help improve blood sugar fluctuations and overall metabolic health, but nutritionists say it\u2019s also important to pay attention to your hunger cues.<\/p>\n Eating lighter meals later in the day, like a hard-boiled egg and apple slices or a small serving of chicken with carrot sticks, can make things easier for your digestive tract overnight. \u201cHowever, if you are waking up in the middle of the night hungry, you may need to eat a more substantial meal,\u201d Hunnes says.<\/p>\n Samantha Cochrane<\/a>, a nutritionist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, suggests eating smaller portions as you wind down for the night. \u201cIf you are going to eat closer to going to bed, the amount that you eat before bed matters,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you eat a large meal or snack, there is more volume of food that needs to be digested, which means it is more likely to cause reflux or interrupt your sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, \u201ca small meal or snack could be better as it would require less digestion and will likely pass through your stomach quicker to reduce the chance of reflux,\u201d Cochrane says.<\/p>\n Is Eating Right Before Bed \u201cBad\u201d?<\/p>\n A 2025 review published in the journal Physical Activity and Nutrition<\/a>\u00a0found that eating dinner too close to bedtime delays melatonin production, which makes it harder for you to fall asleep.<\/p>\n However, if you have to eat right before bed, nutritionists stress that you\u2019ll be OK\u2014it\u2019s just not ideal. \u201cOur bodies need time to digest the food, so if we eat too close to bedtime or late at night, lying down on a full stomach can affect our sleep and metabolism, as well as increase our risk of acid reflux or heartburn,\u201d says Paolella.<\/p>\n A lot of this has to do with gravity, Hunnes says. \u201cIf you lie down flat after eating, it\u2019s easier for food to reflux or back up into the esophagus because you don\u2019t have gravity pulling it down into the small intestine as much,\u201d she explains. But what you eat matters, too.<\/p>\n \u201cFoods known for reflux\u2014tomatoes, chocolate, mint, and caffeine\u2014should be limited close to bedtime, as should very fatty foods, which slow down digestion and increase risk for reflux,\u201d Hunnes says. She also suggests limiting gas-producing foods like broccoli, beans, and Brussels sprouts to lower the odds of gastrointestinal discomfort while trying to sleep.<\/p>\n Is There an Ideal Time to Eat Dinner?<\/p>\n \u201cYour own personal rhythms matter more than a specific or prescribed time,\u201d Hunnes says. So, the answer is: kind of, but it depends on your routine.<\/p>\n Paolella suggests consuming nutrient-dense foods in each meal, including whole grain carbohydrates, fruits, beans, lean animal or plant protein, plant-based sources of fat like avocados or nuts, and a half-plate portion of non-starchy vegetables.<\/p>\n Having a solid mix of protein, fiber, and fat at each meal should help you get the nutrition you need while also helping you to feel fuller for longer, Cochrane says.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the best time of day to eat dinner is two to three hours before you go to bed. But if you eat outside of that window, you should still be just fine.<\/p>\n Want more\u00a0Outside\u00a0health stories?\u00a0Sign up for the Bodywork newsletter<\/a>. Ready to push yourself? Enter MapMyRun\u2019s\u00a0You vs. the Year 2025<\/a>\u00a0running challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated October 13, 2025 10:40AM The best time to eat dinner has been debated for years. 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\nEat breakfast at 8 A.M.
\nHave lunch at noon.
\nEat dinner at 5 P.M.
\nGo to sleep at 9:30 P.M.<\/p>\n