Researchers looking at the diets of early birds and night owls found that people generally eat an identical amount of calories, regardless of their natural sleep schedule. But night owls eat significantly more of their calories late at night, while early birds eat significantly more of theirs early in the day.
Night owls ate foods low in protein and fewer calories in the morning. They ate foods high in calories, carbs and fats late at night. While they weren’t eating more calories, their eating style was linked to higher body and belly fat, and higher blood sugar and lipids.
Eating when you are supposed to be sleeping leads to the body storing more food than it’s using. That can lead to weight and metabolic problems. This research suggests that meal timing may be as important as food choices.
Your chronotype (whether you’re a morning or a night person) controls your circadian rhythm. That impacts your body temperature, hormone levels and metabolism. But human digestion follows the daylight. We burn calories during the day and repair our cells at night. When night owls eat at night, their internal clock is hungry, but their metabolism is winding down.
Night owls were also more likely to make less healthy food choices. While they ate the same amount of calories as the morning people, the calorie sources weren’t as healthy. They ate less fiber and missed out on essential vitamins and minerals.
Study senior author Rozanne Kruger, a professor at Griffith Univ., said, “Targeting meal timing, particularly reducing late-night eating, could be an important strategy for improving health amongst people with an evening chronotype."
The researchers recommend that night owls eat more protein earlier in the day so that they are less hungry after 8 PM. That way, even though they may be awake, they’re less tempted to eat dinner at 10 PM.
Being a night owl can be irritating. The nine-to-five world isn’t really built for people who wake up late and go to bed in the wee hours. But more than that, it can impact your health. However, making small adjustments where you can can make your life easier and healthier. Just by eating more protein earlier in the day, you may be able to aid your metabolic health by regulating when you are hungry and eating at a more reasonable hour.
