Why Shift Workers Should Not Eat At Night

Our bodies have a circadian rhythm: a 24-hour cycle that affects everything from our energy levels and metabolism to the way our organs function. We are wired to be awake and to eat during the day, and to sleep at night, when it is dark. This pattern is written into our DNA. Eating at odd times or going against your circadian rhythm negatively impacts your health.

5 Ways Eating At Night Negatively Affects Your Health

1. Disruption of hormone levels. Levels of insulin, glucagon, and leptin are all affected by eating at night. Leptin is the hormone that signals to your brain that you are full. Without adequate leptin, it is very easy to overeat.

2. Weight gain – part of this is related to overeating and reduced leptin levels. The other part is that when people eat at night, they tend to eat junk food. Willpower is not limitless and it gets used up throughout the day, leaving us defenseless at night.

3. Poor digestion. During the night, key digestive enzymes are in lower quantities impairing your ability to digest food and absorb nutrients (3).

4. Impaired blood sugar regulation. Several studies have shown a higher increase in insulin, glucose, and triglycerides after eating at night when compared to daytime meals. Insulin resistance and high levels of triglycerides are both risk factors for heart disease. This observation may contribute to why shift workers are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (1).

5. Increased risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other functional bowel disorders. Shift workers are at higher risk for IBS (2). This has been attributed largely to sleep disturbance but eating at odd times and not allowing for digestive rest could also contribute.

Our entire body has evolved to work best in line with a 24hr day-night cycle. When working irregular hours and sleeping irregular hours, we might be tempted to throw out the rule book. Even though we are working at strange times, our cells, genes and entire digestive system are still on the same old clock. Try to keep your meals as close to 8 am to 8 pm as possible.

References

1.     Circadian aspects of postprandial metabolism Morgan L, Hampton S, Gibbs M, Arendt J. Chronobiol Int. 2003 Sep;20(5):795-808.

2.     Functional bowel disorders in rotating shift nurses may be related to sleep disturbances. Zhen Lu, Wei; Ann Gwee, Kok^a; Yu Ho, Khek^bEuropean Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology: June 2006 – Volume 18 – Issue 6 – p 623-627

3.     Circadian Regulation of Macronutrient Absorption. Hussain MM¹, Pan X².J Biol Rhythms 2015 Dec;30(6):459-69. doi: 10.1177/0748730415599081. Epub 2015 Aug 12.