It might surprise you to learn that having dinner whenever you feel like it isn’t what the doctor ordered. A recent poll showed that 71% of respondents said they typically eat dinner at 6 p.m. or later. For years, 5 p.m. has been shorthand for early-bird specials, senior discounts, and a restaurant so empty you basically have the place to yourself. Today, Gen X and Baby Boomers are more likely to eat dinner at 8 p.m. or later, while Gen Z and Millennials sit down at the dinner table between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. So, who’s right? It actually depends on your bedtime, but research points overwhelmingly in one direction: earlier and well before you go to bed. According to science, Gen Z and Millennials may have stumbled onto a genuine health upgrade with those dinners before 6 p.m. Eating late keeps insulin levels elevated and delays the melatonin onset. Eat too late and you force your body to do two jobs at once — digest a meal and manage blood sugar……..and do it at a time when it’s trying to wind down for sleep. The most consistent finding is that a large meal close to sleep — within about 1-2 hours — is more likely to impair sleep continuity. So, go ahead and sit down for dinner at 5:30 p.m. — you’re not turning into your grandparents, you’re listening to your body clock. Bonus! If you eat earlier, you’ll find that fighting acid reflux will become a memory pretty quickly.
