Dinner Table Conversation: Why eating earlier may help you during winter

Once the clocks have gone back and darkness falls before many of us even leave work, the rhythms of winter can feel heavier — shorter days, darker evenings, and often, later dinners. But shifting when we eat during the winter could make these months a little easier on our bodies and minds.

Our bodies operate on circadian rhythms – internal 24-hour clocks that regulate sleep, metabolism, digestion and hormone cycles. These rhythms are naturally synchronised with light and dark, so when daylight fades earlier, our metabolism also begins to wind down.

Connection between food and time we eat

This connection between metabolism and daylight may help explain why a growing body of research from the field of chrononutrition suggests that when we eat may be nearly as important as what we eat. Chrononutrition examines how meal timing interacts with our internal body clock, and what affect short days might have on mood, metabolism and health.

For instance, one study found that healthy adults who ate dinner at 10 pm experienced 20 per cent higher blood sugar peaks and burned 10 per cent less fat compared to those who ate dinner at 6 pm. This was despite both groups eating identical meals and having similar bedtimes.

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Broader analyses support the same trends, with a meta-analysis of 29 trials reporting that earlier eating windows, fewer meals and eating the bulk of one’s calories earlier in the day were linked to greater weight loss and improved metabolic markers (such as better blood pressure and lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels).

Other research links consistent late-night eating – especially close to bedtime – with poorer health outcomes and a greater risk of obesity and metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes.

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Earlier dinners may better align with the body’s natural metabolic rhythms, particularly when the last meal occurs well before the body enters its “rest” phase. This might explain why eating earlier has health benefits.

Many chronobiologists conclude that aligning food intake with circadian biology represents a promising, low-cost method of improving metabolic outcomes – especially when combined with other lifestyle factors such as physical activity and healthy eating.

Eating with intent

In winter, especially in northern latitudes, shorter days and longer nights can disrupt circadian rhythms.

Reduced sunlight can lower serotonin levels, contributing to low mood or seasonal affective disorder (SAD). When paired with longer evenings indoors, it’s common for people to snack more often or delay eating dinner until later at night.

But digestion, hormone release (including those that help with sleep and digestion) and even the amount of calories you burn throughout the day all follow circadian rhythms. When meals are pushed too close to sleep, these processes overlap in ways that can affect both metabolism and rest – potentially increasing risks of poor sleep and metabolic ill health.

While light and dark have the biggest influence on circadian rhythms, food intake, stress, physical activity and temperature also affect them.

So, should you eat dinner earlier in winter?

For some people, yes — at least a little earlier. There are three main reasons why.

The first has to do with metabolic alignment. Eating when your metabolism is still active supports better blood sugar control, energy use and fat burning.

The second has to do with digestion. Leaving a few hours between dinner and bedtime allows digestion to wind down before sleep, which may improve sleep quality and recovery.

The third reason has to do with supporting mood and circadian rhythms. A consistent eating window and earlier dinner can help anchor daily routines – especially helpful when other time cues (such as daylight) are weaker.

Not a one-size fits all formula

But here’s the caveat: this isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Many different factors – such as how active you are, if you have any chronic conditions and your schedule – need to be taken into account.

An elite athlete training in the evening may need a later meal to support performance and recovery. But someone less active might benefit more from an earlier, lighter dinner.

So rather than rigid rules, think of meal timing as a flexible tool in your nutrition toolkit. The real focus should be on eating with intent.

This means taking into account your goals (such as whether you want to lose weight or boost athletic performance), how often you exercise, how close to bedtime you normally eat, how you feel depending on the time of day you eat dinner and what’s realistic given your schedule.

If you’re eating after 9 pm most nights and waking up sluggish or find sleep less restful, experimenting with earlier meals may be worthwhile. But if you’re training late or eating socially, that’s fine too — focus on quality over timing, choosing lighter, balanced meals and allowing at least two to three hours before bed.

Some other mealtime tips you can try during the darker months include:

• Finishing dinner earlier, ideally between 5.30 pm–7.00 pm, or at least two to three hours before bedtime

• Front loading your calories by making breakfast and lunch more substantial while there’s more daylight and your metabolism is more active

• Planning around activity, so if you exercise late, have your main meal earlier and a small recovery snack afterwards

• Keeping a consistent eating window, finishing eating by around 8 pm most nights to support circadian alignment

• Reflecting and adjusting by noting how meal timing affects your energy, sleep quality and mood for a week or two then changing as needed

• Staying flexible by remembering perfection isn’t required – a regular schedule and awareness of what you need is what counts.

As winter settles in, paying attention to when you eat may be just as important as what you eat. Aligning mealtimes with your body’s natural rhythms can help steady energy, mood and sleep through the darker months.

But the real key is intentionality: making choices that serve your health, not rigid rules that create stress. The healthiest rhythm is the one that harmonises with both your biology and your lifestyle.

Catherine Norton, Associate Professor Sport & Exercise Nutrition, University of Limerick

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.