Energy balance
Circadian misalignment (e.g., shift work, eating at night) decreases 24-hour energy expenditure and impairs glucose metabolism, independent of caloric intake and physical activity levels.
If you work night shifts or eat late at night, your body's metabolism is less efficient. Your energy expenditure drops, and your body handles sugar worse. To mitigate this, try to eat your main meals during your biological day (even if it's during your 'day' while working nights) and prioritize getting high-quality sleep during the day. Avoid eating large meals during your biological night.
In humans, sleeping during the biological day and wakefulness and eating during the biological night in a shift work model decreased 24-h energy expenditure (17)... we also found a decreased thermic effect of food in response to dinner on the first night shift when the meal was consumed at ~22:30 h...
Why this rating
Based on controlled human laboratory studies (forced desynchrony, shift work simulation) showing consistent metabolic deficits.
Source
Role of sleep and circadian disruption on energy expenditure and in metabolic predisposition to human obesity and metabolic disease
Andrew W. McHill et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2017
DOI 10.1111/obr.12503
More from this paper
- Sleep restriction (4-5 hours/night) increases 24-hour energy expenditure by ~5-7% in humans, but this metabolic cost is offset by a disproportionate increase in caloric intake (particularly from post-dinner snacks), resulting in a positive energy balance and weight gain.Good
- Sleep restriction (4-5 hours/night) impairs glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity to levels similar to those seen in pre-diabetic or diabetic populations.Good
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