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By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

It is said that timing is everything. It turns out that is the case when it comes to when you eat your meals too. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences aimed to see if there was any impact of night shift workers eating overnight on their mental health.

The study compared the mental well-being of those who worked night shifts and ate during both the day and night, with those who worked during the day and ate only during the day. Those who worked night shifts and ate during the day and at night were reported as exhibiting more symptoms of depression and anxiety than those who ate only during the day.

The reasoning behind this is that the natural circadian rhythm, also known as our internal 24-hour clock, is thrown out of alignment with the body’s sleep and wake cycle when working overnight. So, for those working overnight shifts, it is important to be mindful of when meals are taken to improve mood and mental health.

For more health-related articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!