What Time Do You Eat Dinner?

Picture from Yahoo

My patients are usually shocked when I tell them that I normally have dinner by 6 pm. My family usually has dinner at around 6 pm (plus minus 10 minutes). 

I do not know for sure what time most Singaporeans have dinner, but 3 in 5 Americans normally have dinner after 9 pm (Farsijani et al, 2023).

Our bodies are much better at digesting and processing nutrients during the day and powering down and resting at night. So eating close to bedtime can cause a whole range of issues. There are studies linking late night eating to heartburn while others demonstrate how it can affect your sleep quality. As you know, Singaporeans already do not have enough sleep. 

There are also recent studies that link late night eating with increases in body weight and the risk of diabetes. When you limit your calorie intake 3 to 4 hours before bedtime, it can help with blood sugar control and weight management (Vujovic et al, 2022). This is likely linked to the circadian clock which reduces the energy we use after a meal in the evening.

Again in America, early dinners seem to gaining popularity among Americans of all ages. 5 pm is the fastest growing time slot for dinner reservations while bookings for 8 and 9 pm are falling.

Surprisingly, many Gen z-ers are embracing this early bird lifestyle. Americans between the ages of 15 to 34 are getting more sleep each night (9 hrs 12 mins) over the last decade if you look at data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

I am surprised to say that the youths (Americans at least) today are more well rested than I thought, possibly because these youths are ditching late night drinks in favor of . Less daily commuting in this era of remote work enables them to sleep in, while an increase in venture capital for sleep tech definitely helps too.

When you limit your calorie intake 3 to 4 hours before bedtime, it can help with blood sugar control and weight management (Vujovic et al, 2022). This is likely linked to the circadian clock which reduces the energy we use after a meal in the evening.

Eat early, sleep early that seems to be what the research is telling us to ensure good health . 

References

Farsijani S, Mao Z, Cauley JA et al (2023). Comprehensive Assessment Of Chrononutrition Behavirs Among Nationally Representative Adults: Insights From National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Data. Clin Nutri. 42(10): 1910-19-21. DOI: 10.1016:/j.clnu.2023.08.007

Vujovic N, Piron MJ, Qian J et al, (2022). Late Isocaloric Eating Increases Hunger, Decreases Energy Expenditure, And Modifies Metabolic Pathways In Adults With Overweight And Obesity. J Clin and Transl Report. 34(10): 1486-1498. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2022.09.007

How To Wake Up Alert And Refreshed

Do you go to bed early, sleep through the night and still wake up tired and groggy? - Well, it happens to me quite regularly. Turns out that I'm not alone. A study found that fewer than 1 in 3 Americans are getting enough restorative sleep (Robbins et al, 2022). 

You may say that the Americans have more distractions, but in Singapore, 41 percent of adults get between 4 to 6 hours of sleep a night only, even though they should be clocking in 7 to 8 hours.

Not only do we have insufficient sleep, the vast majority of us are not getting the right kind of sleep. So we wake up less alert, have less energy and poor moods in the morning. Low quality and/ or quantity of sleep has terrible far reaching effects, from short term ability to focus to long term risk for chronic diseases.

The good news is that there is a way to fix this. Another published study by Vallat et al (2022) listed 3 steps we can do to eliminate that groggy feeling we get when we wake up. The researchers studied 833 twins and genetically unrelated adults and demonstrated that how effectively one wakes up during the hours following sleep is not assocated with genetics. 

They found 4 independent key factors. sleep quality/ quantity the night before, physical activity the day prior, a breakfast rich in carbohydrates and a low blood sugar level following that breakfast. 

The researchers found that sleeping in for an extra 30 minutes on a morning when you need it was associated with increased alertness in that morning. Physical activity (or exercise) the day before also had a strong link to feeling alert and awake the next morning. The more exercise the better it seems.

Breakfast matters. Participants who ate a breakfast high in low glycemic carbohydrates like whole wheat bread, oats, brown rice felt more alert. However, eating breakfasts that were sugary or high glycemic carbohydrates (muffin, cereal bar, white bread, potatoes) and excessive protein had the opposite effect. 

That's the secret to waking up alert and refreshed every morning. So definitely don't skip breakfast.

References

Robbins R, Quan SF, Buysse DJ et al (2022). A Nationally Representative Survey Assessing Restorative Sleep In US Adults. Frontiers In Sleep. Vol 1. DOI: 10.3389/frsle.2022.935228

Vallat R, Berry SE, Tsereteli SE et al (2022). How People Wake Up Is Associated With previous Night's Sleep Together With Physical Activity And Food Intake. Nat Commun 13,7116. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34503-2

Morning Run Or Sleeping In

I got a question from one of my athlete patients just a while back, "I didn't sleep well. Which is better: going on my morning training run or sleeping in?"

My answer to the athlete was it depends. If it was just an occasional situation where say you stayed up to watch TV, you can still go for your training run.

But, if you haven't been sleeping enough over an extended period of time, it'll be better to sleep in. Rest is when the body heals, repairs and recuperates itself to adapt to the training stresses you've put your body through.

Just like in body building, the muscle grows when the body is resting not when you're lifting weights. In fact the muscle breaks down while you're weight training not the other way around. When you allow the muscle to rest it rebuilds itself bigger and stronger.

Not sleeping enough means not giving your body time to recover. Focus on your sleep needs first. When you've rested enough, you'll feel better and can make time to run later in the day.

Bear this in mind, sleep is a necessity not a luxury, especially for athletes. It's a training tool, running on empty won't get you far. For the rest of us mortals, skipping on sleep to fit in running, working and our personal lives will cause more problems than it solves.