Night owl, pay attention to your eating habits

Your chronotype – whether you’re a morning person, an average type, or a night owl – reflects your natural circadian rhythm.

Your internal clock is strongly linked to weight management. Those with an evening-oriented rhythm are generally more prone to making unhealthier food choices. Their eating patterns tend to be less regular, they often miss out on the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, and breakfast is frequently skipped. Instead, they are more inclined to consume sugary drinks and alcohol.

If you feel most energetic in the quiet hours of the evening, here are some things worth paying attention to!

Skipping breakfast is common

Breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day. Wake-up time is closely tied to circadian rhythm regulation and is partly controlled by genetics. Research shows that about 55% of wake-up timing is hereditary – so if your parents tend to wake later, you’re likely to follow suit. Night owls skip breakfast over 30% more often than morning types, likely because they also tend to wake up later.

Even if you’re a night owl, it’s worth making an effort to eat breakfast. Skipping it for long periods can impair your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar. And if you’re hoping to lose weight, here’s a motivating fact: studies show that a high-calorie breakfast is more effective for weight loss than a high-calorie dinner!

(Timing of food intake: Sounding the alarm about metabolic impairments? A systematic review. Pharmacol Res. 2017 Nov;125(Pt B):132-141.)

Meal timing

Night owls also tend to delay their meals. Like wake-up times, breakfast timing is over 50% genetically influenced.

In addition to breakfast, lunch is often pushed later among evening types, although studies show that circadian rhythm doesn’t significantly impact the timing of dinner. Still, night owls typically consume their most calorie-dense meal at dinner, which has been linked to an increased risk of obesity.

For better weight control, it would be beneficial to make lunch the largest meal of the day instead. Late-night eating is also more common among night owls – often more the rule than the exception.

Distinctive eating behaviors of night owls

Do you often eat while watching TV? Night owls tend to have specific eating habits. In addition to watching TV during meals, they also spend more time eating, are more prone to emotional eating and binge eating, and often consume less varied diets.

Interestingly, even though night owls’ eating patterns are linked to a higher risk of weight gain, the number and size of their meals are generally similar to those of other chronotypes.

Nutrient intake differences between morning and evening types

Morning types tend to eat more protein-rich foods, while evening types consume more fatty foods. Cholesterol intake is also higher among night owls, due to increased fat consumption. Additionally, evening types consume more sucrose (table sugar) and carbohydrates – although findings on carbohydrate intake vary significantly across studies.

It likely won’t surprise night owls to hear that their caffeine consumption is higher. In a society geared toward early schedules, many rely on this psychostimulant to kick-start their day. Alcohol use, on the other hand, is also more common among night owls. Studies have shown a clear connection between alcohol consumption and evening chronotypes.

If you’ve gained weight and are reconsidering your eating habits, you can explore your genetic predisposition to being a night owl with the Eat package – and use the results to better understand and monitor your own eating behaviors.

(The Association between Chronotype and Dietary Pattern among Adults: A Scoping Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 20;17(1):68.)

(Neuro-Cognitive Profile of Morning and Evening Chronotypes at Different Times of Day. Ann Neurosci. 2020 Jul;27(3-4):257-265.)

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