Role of late-night eating in circadian disruption and depression: a review of emotional health impacts

Abstract

Purpose: Circadian rhythms regulate key physiological and behavioral processes. Modern lifestyles, characterized by irregular schedules, artificial lighting, and late-night eating disrupt these rhythms, leading to metabolic and emotional health disturbances. Latenight eating misaligns the circadian clock, affecting neurotransmitter function, hormonal rhythms, and inflammatory pathways, thereby increasing the risk of mood disorders.

Methods: This review synthesizes findings from human and animal studies that examined the effects of late-night eating on circadian misalignment and emotional health. Studies were selected on the basis of the ir relevance to circadian disruption and mood regulation. This review categorizes the physiological mechanisms involved and evaluates dietary timing interventions, such as time-restricted eating (TRE), earlier meal timing, and meal regularity as potential strategies to mitigate these effects.

Results: Late-night eating delayed melatonin onset, elevated nocturnal cortisol levels, disrupted serotonin and dopamine rhythms, and increased systemic inflammation, contributing to emotional instability. Aligning mealtimes with the circadian rhythm improves sleep quality, neurotransmitter balance, and stress resilience. TRE and earlier meal timing show promise in mitigating these effects, although further research is needed to optimize the strategies for different chronotypes and metabolic profiles.

Conclusion: Circadian-aligned meal timing is a practical and noninvasive approach to mitigate the adverse effects of late-night eating on metabolic and emotional health. Future research should refine personalized chrononutrition interventions and assess their long-term effects on mood disorders. Implementing meal-timing strategies based on circadian science could serve as a crucial tool for improving public health and preventing diet-related emotional dysregulation.

Keywords: circadian rhythm; depression; emotional health; late-night eating; metabolism; sleep quality; time-restricted eating.

Figure 1.. The impact of late-night eating and irregular meal patterns on circadian rhythms and health outcomes.

External cues, such as the light/dark cycle and feeding schedules, regulate the central circadian clock (SCN) and peripheral clocks. Disruptions in these rhythms lead to circadian misalignment, which in turn contributes to metabolic dysregulation, sleep disturbances, and emotional instability.