Late-night snacking and constant grazing have long been thought to lead to weight gain and signal an unhealthy lifestyle, but now there’s evidence that eating outside an eight to ten-hour window each day can have a serious negative impact on your health.
In The Circadian Code, a new book published just last month, author and professor Satchin Panda suggests that when people contain their eating to within an eight to ten hour window rather than grazing from early morning to late at night, they improve their health by syncing their body’s natural sleep rhythms with their nutrition needs.
By eating when your body is in full work mode, for example during the hours from 8 am and 6 pm, you provide calories and nutrients when they’re needed most. Eating outside of those hours, signals to your body to gear up for activity, not prepare for rest.
This is similar to recent suggestions around limiting screen time, being around bright lights, or working out right before bed. We know that those activities confuse your circadian sleep rhythms, and we also know that there’s a strong link between getting enough sleep and maintaining a healthy weight.