Aim to eat all your food within an 8 to 12-hour window each day, as this aligns with your body’s circadian rhythm, protecting against metabolic diseases, improving weight, and boosting physical and mental performance. Start with a 12-hour window and gradually reduce it to 10 or 8 hours if possible.
Stop eating at least 2-3 hours before going to bed to allow your gut and liver to perform essential repair and rejuvenation processes, which are disrupted by late-night digestion. Eating late can lead to gut problems, inflammation, and poor sleep.
Reduce exposure to artificial light, especially from screens, in the evening by dimming them or using orange light filters. This helps prevent confusion of your brain’s circadian clock, which can otherwise disrupt sleep and lead to poor food choices and increased appetite.
Ensure adequate sleep, as a sleep-deprived brain makes poor decisions about food, tending to eat more energy-dense, unhealthy snacks. Good sleep supports better appetite regulation and overall health by preventing the brain from perceiving a constant “danger” state.
Integrate your food intake, sleep, stress management, and exercise routines with your natural circadian rhythm. This alignment helps reduce physiological stress, improves overall well-being, and optimizes your body’s natural functions by working with its pre-programmed daily cycles.
To successfully implement time-restricted eating, focus on simply remembering the time of your first meal and then ensuring all subsequent eating occurs within your chosen 8-12 hour window. This approach avoids calorie counting and complex diet changes, making it easier to maintain long-term adherence.
Discuss with your doctor whether the timing of your medications, especially for chronic conditions like arthritis or high blood pressure, could be optimized. Taking certain drugs at specific times (e.g., some arthritis or blood pressure medications at night) may improve efficacy and reduce adverse side effects by aligning with your body’s natural rhythms.
After waking up, give your body about an hour before consuming your first meal. This allows time for your body to naturally prepare for digestion and for you to engage in your morning routine.
Download the MyCircadianClock app (MyCircadianClock.org) and snap pictures of your meals and drinks to contribute anonymized data to ongoing research on time-restricted eating and its health benefits. Your participation helps scientists learn more about how eating patterns affect health globally.
Subscribe to the podcast, share episodes with friends on social media (tagging Dr. Chatterjee and Sachin Panda on Twitter), and check the show notes at drchatty.com/TRF for links to books and the MyCircadianClock app. This helps spread valuable health information and supports the podcast’s mission to simplify health.