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When on vacation, I tend to go to sleep around 4-5 AM and sleep until noon. What does this mean for my nutrition? Can I eat dinner at 1 AM if I am going to sleep at dawn?
Should I eat according to the objective time of day, or should I follow “mornings” and “evenings” of my own inner clock? Breakfast at lunch time, dinner at midnight, etc.
This always confused me and I wonder if nocturnal lifestyle automatically means that I’ll gain extra weight…A nocturnal lifestyle does not automatically translate to extra weight gain. The challenge is that being out of the body’s natural circadian rhythm sometimes triggers inappropriate eating – overeating in general, a focus on unhealthy foods, and overdoing carbohydrates, as well as binging right after the all-night activity and then going to sleep on a full stomach. If you are going to be nocturnal, then simply shift your eating patterns according to your activity – as you stated, breakfast at lunchtime, dinner at midnight-1 am. And of course, be wary of vacation eating itself – often a source of eating pitfalls that can lead to extra weight gain if basic principles are forgotten.
My two cents on this: I noticed that routine in my sleeping schedule helps me maintain routine and discipline in my nutrition.
I get up early even on the weekends and try to keep myself well rested whenever possible. When I fall out of my routine, I mess up my meal schedule and eat more than I should… and that’s not good.Oh yeah, binge eating can be a problem if I spend the night out and then crash back home hungry, eat first thing at hand and go to sleep right afterwards. Happens sometimes, but I found it’s good to prepare some healthy snack to wait for me when I come home.
(If I spend the night at home, then it’s easier to keep it all balanced.)
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