Eating dinner about 2-3 hours before bedtime helps the body digest food more efficiently, leading to deeper sleep and a more refreshed wake-up the next morning.
When is the ideal time for dinner?
International nutrition experts suggest that the best time for dinner is between 5 PM and 7 PM. If you can't eat earlier, you should finish dinner at least 2-3 hours before going to bed.
For example, if you usually go to bed at 10:30 PM, you should eat dinner before 7:30 PM. This amount of time is sufficient for your stomach to digest most of the food, reducing bloating, indigestion, and reflux when lying down.
According to American nutritionist Marissa Meshulam, the timing of dinner is just as important as the food itself. As the body enters the evening, metabolism and insulin sensitivity begin to slow down.
If you eat too late, your body will have to continue digesting food when it should be resting and recovering.
Why does eating dinner late make it easier to sleep poorly?
Evening is when the body's biological clock signals to relax, reduce digestive activity, and prepare for sleep. A late dinner, especially after 8 PM or too close to bedtime, can cause the stomach to work continuously throughout the night.
When you lie down before your food has fully digested, stomach acid can easily reflux into the esophagus, causing heartburn, bloating, discomfort, and disrupting your sleep.
Additionally, blood sugar levels are more likely to fluctuate significantly at night if you eat a lot of sweets or carbohydrates late at night, making you more likely to wake up in the middle of the night or feel sluggish the next morning.
Some studies suggest that eating dinner too close to bedtime can reduce the amount of deep sleep – a crucial period for brain recovery, memory consolidation, and energy replenishment.
Signs that you're eating dinner on time
If you maintain the habit of eating dinner early and on time for a few weeks, your body will usually experience many positive changes.
The most noticeable signs are that you feel naturally sleepier in the evening, toss and turn less, sleep more soundly, and wake up less often during the night. The next morning, your body wakes up more quickly, and you experience less bloating or fatigue upon waking.
Many people also notice a lighter stomach the next morning, less bloating, reduced abdominal distension, and less heartburn. In addition, eating dinner early helps control nighttime hunger, limits late-night snacking, and helps maintain more stable energy levels the following day.
Another positive sign is that you find it easier to maintain your weight. When you eat dinner early, your body has more time to use the energy you've consumed instead of storing it as fat, and it also helps stabilize blood sugar levels throughout the night.
What should you eat for dinner to sleep better?
Experts recommend prioritizing lean proteins such as fish, chicken, eggs, tofu, and plain yogurt; combined with green vegetables and slow-releasing carbohydrates like brown rice, sweet potatoes, or whole-wheat bread. These foods help you feel full longer, stabilize blood sugar, and don't put too much strain on your digestive system.
Conversely, you should limit fried foods, overly spicy or sweet foods, milk tea, coffee, or alcoholic beverages in the evening. These foods can make it difficult to fall asleep, cause restless sleep, or lead to waking up in the middle of the night.
If you feel hungry close to bedtime, you can have a light snack like a banana, a container of plain yogurt, or some nuts instead of eating another large meal.