Time-restricted eating helps lose weight without compromising sleep, mood, or quality of life, regardless of when the eating window occurs. Digest
Meal timing may influence more than just hunger—it can affect our sleep, mood, and day-to-day functioning. Time-restricted eating, a strategy that limits food intake to a specific window each day, has shown promise for weight loss and improved metabolic health, and may also support other aspects of well-being. A recent study found that people who followed time-restricted eating lost about 3 kilograms (roughly 6.5 pounds) more than those who didn't, regardless of whether they ate early, late, or chose their own schedule.
Researchers provided 197 adults who had overweight or obesity with guidance on following a Mediterranean-style diet. Then, they assigned some of the participants to one of three schedules: an early time-restricted eating schedule (starting before 10 a.m.), a late schedule (starting after 1 p.m.), or a self-selected 8-hour eating window. The remainder followed a typical daily eating pattern. The researchers measured the participants' sleep with wearable devices and assessed mood and quality of life through standard questionnaires before and after the intervention.
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They found no meaningful differences between the groups in total sleep time, stress, depression, anxiety, or general quality of life. For example, sleep duration differed by only about 12 minutes across groups, and mood scores remained stable. There were also no marked differences between early, late, and self-selected eating windows.
These findings suggest that incorporating time-restricted eating into a weight loss program is unlikely to harm sleep, mood, or quality of life, regardless of the time of day the eating window falls. Evidence suggests time-restricted eating offers a wide range of health benefits. Learn more in this clip featuring Dr. Satchin Panda.