Meal Timing and Sleep

I’ve written before about the benefits of intermittent fasting and how limiting your meals to a specific window of time each day can help with weight loss and insulin sensitivity. But a much overlooked benefit is how meal timing affects sleep.

I remember a lady I worked for years ago telling me I was too rigid because I preferred eating my lunch at roughly the same time daily. She was one of those people who didn’t like having schedules for anything. I wondered for a long time if she might be right and I was being too regimented.

Turns out she was wrong and here’s why. Time-restricted eating (or intermittent fasting) supports our internal clock (circadian rhythm). When we eat and exercise at roughly the same times daily we help our body to get into a routine. Once we get into that routine, it can become easier to fall asleep and wake up at the same time daily.

Creating these specific times when we eat, and when we fast, seems to be important to promote a healthy metabolism and good sleep. It doesn’t have to be a restrictive window. Just about everyone can do a 12 hour eating and 12 hour fasting window. And also avoiding eating within 3 hours of bedtime can be a simple way to improve the quality of your sleep.

Have you considered intermittent fasting to help you sleep better?

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