Published February 24, 2026 02:28PM
There’s something uniquely satisfying about late-night snacking—especially when it involves indulgent, comforting foods enjoyed in the glow of the refrigerator light. As you finish your dinner and make your way to bed, the joy of this simple pleasure can be hard to resist.
However, indulging too close to bedtime may have detrimental effects on your health. A recent study published earlier this month reveals why timing matters and explores the best practices for nighttime meals to promote better health.
When is the Best Time for Your Last Meal?
This comprehensive study, featured in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, focused on the implications of late-night eating on overall health. It proposes that having your final meal about three hours before going to bed can significantly lower blood pressure, reduce heart rate, and improve blood glucose control.
The researchers, affiliated with Northwestern University, studied adults aged 36 to 75 who were classified as overweight or obese, thus at increased risk for various cardiometabolic issues such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, while ensuring participants were otherwise healthy. A total of 39 individuals were randomly divided into two groups: one that maintained their normal evening eating habits and another that implemented a fasting routine for a period of at least 6 weeks.
The control group followed an 11 to 13-hour fast between dinner and breakfast the following day, while the experimental group extended their fasting time to 13 to 16 hours—essentially eating their last meal three hours earlier than the control group.
Without altering their sleep or eating routines beyond the timing, both groups adjusted their environments by dimming lights three hours before sleep. Participants were not directed on what to eat, only when to eat. Heart rates and blood pressure readings were taken every half hour from the afternoon until participants awoke the next morning.
How Proper Meal Timing Supports Heart Health
The fasting group exhibited more favorable blood pressure and heart rate readings and showed improved glucose regulation, leading to stable blood sugar levels.
Dr. Daniela Grimaldi, a key researcher in the study and a research associate professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, expressed her amazement: “It’s remarkable that a relatively simple adjustment to meal timing could enhance nighttime autonomic balance, lower blood pressure, influence heart rate, and improve morning glucose metabolism—all without requiring calorie restriction or weight loss.”
Dr. Kumar Sarkar, a cardiologist at Northwell Health not involved in the study, emphasized the importance of the two to three-hour period before sleep: “During this critical window, melatonin levels rise, sympathetic activity decreases, and metabolic rates fall. Eating during this time forces the body to prioritize digestion over transitioning to sleep.”
Thus, when your body is occupied with breaking down food shortly before sleep, Sarkar cautions, the process may disrupt gut motility (the movement of food through the digestive tract) and insulin levels, which can interfere with restful sleep.
What This Means for Your Routine
Grimaldi highlights the increasing concern over cardiovascular issues, kidney disease, and diabetes as the aging population grows. “There’s a lot of buzz around time-restricted eating, and we aimed to provide scientific insight into optimizing this practice, particularly by connecting it to sleep, which has significant repercussions for cardiometabolic health,” she states.
She also noted that the fasting group exhibited an impressive 90 percent adherence, indicating that this approach could be practical for many. For instance, if you usually go to bed around 10 P.M., aim to finish dinner by 7 P.M. and stick to that pattern to assess how you feel.
It’s essential to consider some limitations of the study: most participants were female, impacting how results might translate to male individuals, according to Grimaldi. Differences in autonomic function, metabolism, and circadian rhythms between sexes should not be overlooked.
Moreover, Sarkar pointed out the relatively small sample size and the emphasis on overweight and obese participants, which limits the generalizability of the findings. Nevertheless, he found the positive outcomes in evening heart rates, cortisol levels, and blood pressure compelling.
Since the researchers did not focus on what the participants ate, only when they consumed their meals, it’s critical to realize that meal choice also affects sleep and overall health. Grimaldi indicated, “The interplay between the composition of meals, timing, and individual digestion rates deserves further investigation.” In this regard, Sarkar advises steering clear of heavy, high-fat, and high-glycemic foods (such as white bread, donuts, and bagels) that can lead to glucose fluctuations throughout the night, negatively impacting sleep quality.
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