The Power of Perennial Agriculture
February 18, 2026
Stop Eating 3 Hours Before Bed to Improve Heart Health
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Stop Eating 3 Hours Before Bed to Improve Heart Health
February 15, 2026 | Source: Science Daily | by Northwestern University
Researchers at Northwestern Medicine explored whether timing an overnight fast to match a person’s natural sleep wake cycle could improve heart and metabolic health. The circadian rhythm plays a central role in regulating cardiovascular and metabolic function. Importantly, participants did not reduce calories. The focus was entirely on adjusting when they ate.
The study found that middle age and older adults at elevated risk for cardiometabolic disease benefited from extending their overnight fasting window by roughly two hours. They also avoided food and dimmed lights for three hours before going to sleep. These changes led to measurable improvements in heart and metabolic markers during sleep and throughout the following day.
“Timing our fasting window to work with the body’s natural wake-sleep rhythms can improve the coordination between the heart, metabolism and sleep, all of which work together to protect cardiovascular health,” said first author Dr. Daniela Grimaldi, research associate professor of neurology in the division of sleep medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
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