Myth: You Shouldn’t Eat After 8 PM
We’ve all heard it: “Don’t eat after 8 PM or it’ll turn to fat.” It’s one of diet culture’s most persistent rules—but like many food rules, it doesn’t hold up under science or…let’s be honest, real life.
1. ✅ The Truth About Eating After 8 PM
Your body doesn’t stop digesting food just because the clock hits 8:00 PM. When you have a cut or broken bone, does your body simply shut off the healing process once you hit the hay? Of course not! In fact, metabolism continues to function around the clock, including while you sleep. Research has even shown that eating within an hour or so before bedtime can help you sleep longer (Iao et al., 2022) - and who doesn’t want that?! Multiple studies have shown that what you eat and how much you eat over a 24-hour period matters far more than the specific time you eat it (Kinsey & Ormsbee, 2015). It’s also been found that eating a high protein snack before bed can stabilize your blood sugars at night (Roach et al., 2022) and can preserve muscle mass (Moore & Philip, 2019). Honoring hunger cues in the evening—no matter what time it may be—is part of trusting your body and breaking out of rigid, rule-based thinking around food.
2. 🕗 The Nuance Matters
There are some specific scenarios where eating at night really might not be the best thing. If you have acid reflux then it’s probably best to avoid eating right before bed to avoid any symptoms. Or if you wind down for bed earlier (like at 8:00 or 8:30pm), you’re obviously not going to eat later since you’ve already gone to sleep. The issue isn’t when you stop eating, but why. If you’re avoiding food at night because of fear, shame, or a diet rule, that’s worth challenging.
3. 🧠 RO-DBT Skill: Self-Enquiry
If this part made you feel a little uncomfortable, that’s actually a good thing—it’s a sign you’ve hit a spot worth exploring! In RO-DBT, we turn to a core skill called Self Enquiry (SE): getting curious about your reactions, energy, behaviors instead of judging them. Instead of attempting to remedy that uncomfortable feeling, SE would look like asking yourself, “What might this discomfort be trying to teach me?” or “What belief am I holding onto about eating at night?” Challenging old food rules can feel vulnerable, but that vulnerability is also a sign of growth.
📚 Scientific References
Iao, S. I., Jansen, E., Shedden, K., O’Brien, L. M., Chervin, R. D., Knutson, K. L., & Dunietz, G. L. (2022). Associations between bedtime eating or drinking, sleep duration and wake after sleep onset: findings from the American time use survey. British Journal of Nutrition, 127(12), 1888–1897. doi:10.1017/S0007114521003597
Kinsey, A. W., & Ormsbee, M. J. (2015). The health impact of nighttime eating: old and new perspectives.Nutrients, 7(4), 2648–2662. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7042648
Moore, D. R., & Philp, A. (2020). nutritional strategies to promote muscle mass and function across the health span. Frontiers in Nutrition, 7, 569270.
Roach, L. A., Woolfe, W., Bastian, B., Neale, E. P., & Francois, M. E. (2022). Systematic literature review: should a bedtime snack be used to treat hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes?. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 116(5), 1251–1264. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqac245