#HealthBytes: Why you should consider having an early dinner?
What's the story
In many countries, the culture of having an early dinner is quite common. While some have their meal between 7 pm to 8 pm, there are people who do it as early as 5 pm. These habits didn't get started out of thin air. In fact, they are backed by many scientific studies. Here are the reasons why having dinner early is beneficial.
Digestion
Put 3-4 hours of gap between dinner and sleep
Eating right before going to bed at night may cause symptoms of indigestion such as acid reflux, gas, bloating, or abdominal pain. This happens because the food doesn't get digested properly while lying down. Also, if you don't put 3-4 hours of gap between dinner and sleep, your digestive system will function while you are asleep, which can affect your REM and cause sleeplessness.
Weight loss
Fat burning capacity reduces by 10% for late eaters
Late dinner can cause weight gain, regardless of the calories. A recent study found that late eaters had almost 20% higher blood sugar levels compared to early ones. The fat burning capacity also reduced by 10% in those who kept the sleep-dinner gap at 1-2 hours. However, if you eat and sleep late, you don't get affected that much (although it is not recommended).
Heart
Eating late delays calorie burning, risking cardiac health
Our blood pressure is supposed to drop by at least 10% at night to ensure a good rest. However, late dinner can stop the pressure from dropping properly, which can increase the risk of heart diseases. Also, when the calories don't get burned due to late dinner, they become triglycerides, a fatty acid that can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Energy
Early dinner will also mean breakfast on time next day
If you have your dinner late, you won't be able to time your breakfast properly. Since breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it properly energizes the body to sustain throughout the day, skipping it will lead to less energy. And so, by eating early at night, your breakfast intake would be great, which can ensure high energy levels.