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Mealtimes have evolved according to the changes in society. Traditionally, most cultures have accorded much significance to daytime meals. As food is a necessary component for survival and thriving, it turns out that the time we eat as well as what we eat can have an effect on our brains. Irregular eating schedules have been linked to weight gain, cardio-metabolic disorders, and negative mental health, such as depression and anxiety.
A higher incidence of neuroticism, sleep problems, depression, and difficulty managing stress is linked to irregular meal timings. According to a study, shift workers, a population group whose members commonly eat at crazy hours due to work schedules, have greater rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Other researchers have noted that irregular meal timing is a feature of a number of mental disorders, including bipolar disorder.
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Effects of Daytime Meals on Mental Health
Fortunately, we can use our eating patterns to reduce bad mood and improve mental health. The mood and food connection is now well understood and the time we consume meals can impact our mental health in the following ways.
1. Regulates the Circardian Rhythm
The circadian rhythm is a 24-hour biological cycle that helps regulate the timing of several bodily processes, including the complex chemical interactions of the nervous system and reactions involved in digestion. Human life on Earth evolved to keep up with the circadian rhythm, which is connected to the cycle of day and night. It's interesting to note that long-term disturbance of the circadian rhythm raises the risk of mental health problems, including mood disorders.
The circadian rhythm and mental health both can be negatively impacted by irregular meal timing in a number of ways. In the agrarian era before the invention of artificial lights, the vast majority of people were active during the day and slept at night. Food preparation and eating were tasks predominantly done during the day. Hence the rule no eating after sundown. Prior to our industrialized, modern lives, the main meal was consumed around noon to provide energy for the day's work. Today, we tend to live and eat outside of the rhythm we evolved into, and disrupt how our bodies would operate.
2. Impacts the Release of Neurotransmitters
Disruption in the timing of the digestive processes may contribute to negative effects on mental health. This is because certain digestive hormones have a role in these processes, which in turn affect neurotransmitters like dopamine that affect mood and energy levels.
Another neurotransmitter that has an effect on mood is serotonin, which is produced to a large extent in the gastrointestinal tract (approximately 95%). Regular meals support the equilibrium of these intricate processes, making you feel healthier and more in control.
3. Enhances Functioning in Old Age
A recent study found that older adults who consistently rise early and eat regular meals are happier than those who don't. They outperformed in cognitive tests those individuals who had irregular schedules due to their busy lifestyle. It further stated that regular times for eating is crucial for maintaining mental acuity and healthy aging.
4. Maintains the Intricate Food–Mood Connection
There are brain networks controlling eating and mood that overlap, yet the fundamental mechanisms are still unclear. Evidence also reveals that dopamine levels in people with bipolar illness and depression are abnormal. It is believed that irregular eating patterns are a factor in the poor maintenance of mood.
Even the complicated underlying reasons for mood disorders may involve irregular eating. For instance, those who suffer from depression or bipolar disorder often have erratic eating schedules and altered internal cycles, which considerably exacerbates mood symptoms. Due to this evidence, most psychiatric settings do currently include monitoring eating cycles in conventional clinical therapy.
5. Optimizes Eating Rhythms
What steps can we take to improve our eating rhythms, then? Time-restricted eating (TRE), also referred to as intermittent fasting, involves restricting the eating window to a certain amount of time during the day, typically 4 to 12 hours. For example, choosing to eat all meals and snacks in a 10-hour window from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. reflects an overnight fasting period. Evidence suggests that this method optimizes brain function, energy metabolism, and the healthy signaling of metabolic hormones.
In addition to the benefits to our mental health, intermittent fasting has several other health advantages, such as better blood glucose control, higher fat burning, and improved heart and brain function.
Takeaway
People in general need to know more about practical and economical strategies to eat healthy meals. This entails paying attention to the rhythms of eating as well as the actual food that is consumed. Meal timings that follow the path of the sun can improve overall health over time and may even be protective against mental illness.
Janvi is a trained clinical psychologist.
