Irregular holiday routines can disrupt your internal clock, but maintaining consistent meal times may help restore balance and boost long-term health, experts say.
Vacation may loosen more than schedules. Late meals, extra drinks and irregular sleep can leave people feeling bloated, sluggish and off-kilter, and nutrition specialists say that shift is usually temporary. Samia Rhalem, a dietitian at Royal Mansour Tamuda Bay, says these changes can cause short-lived imbalances, including digestive discomfort, unstable blood sugar and lower energy when eating becomes less nutrient-dense.
Part of the problem is that appetite, like sleep, follows a circadian rhythm. Isabel Castaño, a gynaecologist who specialises in hormonal health and also works as a researcher, says that when people stay up later, sleep less or keep changing when they eat, the body’s timing system loses synchronisation. That can affect melatonin and cortisol, the hormones linked to sleep and stress, as well as insulin sensitivity and the hunger-related hormones leptin and ghrelin.
That mismatch has a name in nutrition circles: metabolic jet lag. In practical terms, it means the body is being asked to digest food at times when it expects to rest. Research on circadian rhythms has linked irregular meal timing with poorer metabolic health, while studies of time-restricted feeding suggest that keeping eating within a consistent daily window may help preserve internal clock function. A review published in the National Library of Medicine also ties circadian disruption to changes in the gut microbiota, which can contribute to metabolic dysfunction.
Meritxell Massons, a nutritionist at Neolife, says one straightforward way to steady the body after holiday excess is time-restricted eating, in which meals are confined to an eight- to 12-hour period. She recommends keeping meal times as regular as possible, eating most calories earlier in the day, avoiding dinner late at night and finishing the final meal two to three hours before bed. The aim, she says, is simple: food by day, rest by night.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
