Aim to be in bed for eight hours consistently every night, going to bed within a one-hour window, to ensure you get seven to seven and a half hours of restful sleep as an adult.
After waking up, try to avoid food for one to two hours, as this period allows melatonin levels to decrease and cortisol levels to spike, which is beneficial for metabolic function.
After your first meal, restrict all subsequent eating to a window of 8 to a maximum of 12 hours to align with time-restricted eating principles.
Ensure your last bite or calorie intake occurs at least two hours before your habitual bedtime to support better sleep quality.
Avoid both food and bright light exposure for two to three hours before bedtime to facilitate natural melatonin rise and improve sleep.
During the daytime, especially in the first half, try to go outside even on cloudy days, as natural light is a powerful antidepressant and helps uplift your mood.
When stepping outside for daylight exposure, take a 30-minute brisk walk to combine your daily exercise with a beneficial dose of natural light.
Identify and address the root causes of night owl habits, such as late-afternoon caffeine intake (coffee, tea, chocolate) and evening bright light exposure, to normalize your sleep schedule.
Program cell phones and laptops to activate night shift or night light features around 8 or 9 PM, which dims screens and shifts colors to orange, signaling it’s time to wind down.
Wear blue-filtering eyeglasses in the evening to reduce blue light exposure and improve sleep quality.
Avoid wearing sunglasses in the morning, especially on cloudy days or while driving in a car without direct sunlight, to allow enough blue light to activate melanopsin and reset your circadian clock.
When socializing on weekends, opt for happy hour to finish dinner earlier and maintain a regular bedtime, minimizing circadian rhythm disruption.
If you are a shift worker, be extra cautious by avoiding excessive caffeinated drinks and alcohol, as their combination with shift work can be toxic and disturb sleep-wake cycles.
Judiciously choose and maintain consistent eating and sleeping windows almost every single day, including off days, to keep your circadian rhythm aligned.
If you are a night shift worker, consider discussing with your employer the possibility of working continuously for several days to allow your body to adjust to the night shift, followed by consecutive off days.
Design your bedroom to have complete control over light, making it completely dark for sleep or brightly lit when needed, to optimize your sleep environment.
Equip your bedroom with good blinds to make the room completely dark, and have earplugs or an eye mask handy to facilitate sleep, especially for daytime naps or when early morning light is an issue.
If you are sleep-deprived, napping is a beneficial way to catch up on lost sleep.
Opt for smaller lunches to minimize physiological disturbance and combat the postprandial dip in alertness that often occurs after eating.
To combat post-lunch sleepiness, consider eating lunch outdoors under a canopy or taking a short walk immediately after your meal.
Use orange-colored light bulbs for evening settings in bedrooms or areas where bright light is undesirable, and consider blue-shifted, bright white light bulbs during winter or daytime to improve mood and alertness.
Aim to exercise in the late afternoon or early evening, as this time offers better muscle tone, joint flexibility, reduced injury risk, and improved glucose management, especially for individuals with diabetes.
If morning is the only available time for exercise, continue to do so, as the benefits of physical activity outweigh the specific timing.
Consider consuming caffeine approximately 30 minutes before morning exercise, as this may boost fat oxidation to levels comparable to afternoon exercise without caffeine.
Most individuals aged 5 to 100 can safely practice 12-hour time-restricted eating for health benefits, unless they have Type 1 diabetes.
For children aged 5-10, ensure 9-10 hours of sleep and maintain natural gaps before and after sleep (e.g., brushing teeth, getting ready) to easily achieve a healthy 12-13 hour eating window.
Pregnant or breastfeeding individuals should avoid highly restrictive time-restricted eating windows, such as 10 hours, as it may be too restrictive for their specific needs.
When practicing time-restricted eating, be careful not to combine it with extreme calorie reduction (e.g., 1,000 kcal/day) and high activity levels, as this can adversely affect body weight, bile acid metabolism, and increase kidney stone risk.
Type 1 diabetics should exercise caution with time-restricted eating and only attempt it with a continuous glucose monitor and readily available calories to prevent hypoglycemia.