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Eating This Long Before Bed Boosts Heart Health FG Trade Latin – Getty Images<\/p>\n
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There\u2019s been talk for years about the importance of stopping eating at a certain time before you go to bed. Experts say it may do everything from help you sleep better and lower your risk of acid reflux<\/a> to boost weight loss<\/a>. Now, there\u2019s one more perk to consider: It could support your heart health.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the main takeaway from new research published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology<\/a>. For the study, researchers had 39 people with overweight or obesity between the ages of 36 and 75 do an extended overnight fast of 13 to 16 hours of fasting or a \u201chabitual fast\u201d of 11 to 13 hours for 7.5 weeks. Both groups had to dim the lights three hours before bed.<\/p>\n Meet the experts: Phyllis Zee, M.D.,<\/a> study co-author, director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine, and chief of sleep medicine in the department of neurology at Northwestern University\u2019s Feinberg School of Medicine; Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D., is the author of The Little Book of Game-Changers: 50 Healthy Habits For Managing Stress & Anxiety; Sonya Angelone, Ph.D., R.D.N.,<\/a> a nutritionist and registered dietitian based in San Francisco.<\/p>\n Compared to the \u201chabitual fast\u201d group, people who did an extended overnight fast\u2014which meant they stopped eating at least three hours before bed\u2014experienced a range of heart-healthy perks.<\/p>\n This group saw their nighttime blood pressure drop by 3.5% and their heart rate drop by 5%. Lowering blood pressure and heart rate during sleep is called nocturnal dipping and is considered to be a healthy pattern, explains Phyllis Zee, M.D.,<\/a> study co-author, director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine, and chief of sleep medicine in the department of neurology at Northwestern University\u2019s Feinberg School of Medicine. \u201cLack of dipping is a risk for cardiovascular disease,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n What\u2019s behind this, and why might avoiding food for a certain amount of time before bed be the way to go? Experts explain.<\/p>\n When to stop eating before bed for better heart health<\/p>\n The participants who stopped eating three hours before bed also had better blood sugar management and insulin sensitivity after taking a glucose test.<\/p>\n \u201cThis sleep-aligned time-restricted eating approach represents a novel, accessible lifestyle intervention with promising potential for improving cardiometabolic function,\u201d the researchers wrote in the study\u2019s conclusion. Basically, the participants who stopped eating three hours before bed had improvements across their blood pressure, heart rate, and blood-sugar management, without cutting calories.<\/p>\n Why does how long you eat before bed matter?<\/p>\n The concept of avoiding food before bed isn\u2019t a new one. It\u2019s been recommended across a range of specialties for a variety of reasons.<\/p>\n \u201cEating a meal, especially a large meal, close to bedtime can interfere with sleep,\u201d says Sonya Angelone, Ph.D., R.D.N.,<\/a> a nutritionist and registered dietitian based in San Francisco. \u201cThe body is primed for sleep, not to digest food at night.\u201d<\/p>\n The sleep hormone melatonin rises about two to three hours before bed, which influences your cardiovascular function, Dr. Zee says. Stopping eating three hours before bed \u201caligns well with the person’s circadian rhythm,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Your blood pressure tends to temporarily increase after a big meal, which could disrupt sleep, points out Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D., author of The Little Book of Game-Changers: 50 Healthy Habits For Managing Stress & Anxiety. Not only that, your body tends to kick into overdrive to digest food after a big meal, which can raise blood sugar, Cording says. \u201cSometimes that can make you feel temporarily alert, which can interfere with sleep,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n Eating close to bed may raise the risk of developing acid reflux, which may impact sleep, too, Angelone points out.<\/p>\n How does sleep impact health?<\/p>\n Lack of sleep is linked<\/a> with higher blood sugar and poor blood sugar control after meals, along with a higher risk<\/a> of developing a slew of other health conditions, including high blood pressure<\/a>, type 2 diabetes<\/a>, heart disease, and depression.<\/p>\n \u201cResearch shows that eating too much, too close to bed, may impact your body\u2019s levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can impact your body composition,\u201d Cording says. Plus, \u201cthe body processes calories better in the morning, so stopping food intake earlier may also support weight management efforts,\u201d Angelone says.<\/p>\n Ultimately, \u201cThere are a number of ways that giving your body some time after you eat can give you better sleep and support overall health,\u201d Cording says.<\/p>\n The bottom line<\/p>\n While the research is promising, it may not be reflective of the general population, and more needs to be done. Not everyone feels comfortable stopping eating three hours before bed, which is why Angelone recommends changing your habits slowly. \u201cIf you are used to a bedtime snack, have it just a little earlier until you are eating three hours or more from bedtime,\u201d she says. \u201cGradually shift your last for intake by 15 minutes a day.\u201d<\/p>\n Cording also suggests looking at what you\u2019re eating throughout the day and for your last meal of the day. \u201cA common issue I\u2019ve come across a lot is where someone is not eating enough during the day and consciously or unconsciously saving their calories for the end of the day,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen someone gets into a pattern when they\u2019re eating a lot at night, it sets the stage for metabolic issues.\u201d<\/p>\n Cording says it\u2019s often a \u201cgame-changer\u201d to eat more during the day and less at dinner. Still, Angelone stresses the importance of having a mix of protein, healthy fat, and fiber at dinner to keep you feeling fuller and stabilize blood sugar. \u201cA balanced meal that\u2019s not too heavy is ideal,\u201d Cording says.<\/p>\n If you can\u2019t do this every night, don\u2019t stress it. \u201cThere will be times in your life where you don\u2019t have two to three hours before bed,\u201d Cording says. \u201cGive yourself some grace. It\u2019s not necessarily about getting it perfect every day. It\u2019s about long-term patterns over the lifespan.\u201d<\/p>\n You Might Also Like<\/p>\n