Stopping Your Meals Just Three Hours Before Bed Can Significantly Boost Heart Health

February 23, 2026

At 10:30 pm, the kitchen light is still on. A late snack, maybe a scroll through the phone, one more episode before bed—it feels harmless, right? In fact, this has become the normal night routine for many people around the globe, but what they don’t know is that this nightly habit is quietly working against their hearts.

Curious about what this late-evening pattern might be doing inside the body, a team of researchers at Northwestern University decided to investigate. Instead of asking people to cut calories or overhaul their diets, they tested a simpler idea: stop eating earlier in the evening and extend the overnight fasting window so it overlaps more fully with sleep.

Their findings suggest that this small shift in timing may help restore healthier heart rhythms and improve blood sugar control in adults at elevated risk of heart disease. ZME SCIENCE