Sleep on an empty stomach – or feed the disease

Korca Boom
Jun 25
2 min read

This is the core idea of an approach that is gaining increasing attention in the medical world: chronobiology, the science that studies the body’s natural rhythms and their impact on health.

According to this discipline, when and how we eat is just as important as what we eat. The human body operates on a 24-hour cycle known as the circadian rhythm, which influences how our cells function, how hormones are produced, and how detoxification and repair processes take place.

In the evening, especially after 8:00 PM, the body needs rest and darkness. During this time, most cells reduce their division activity and focus on repair and maintenance. Organs like the liver, brain, intestines, and the immune system work according to a biological schedule that benefits most from rest, not digestion.

But what happens when we eat at night?

Late-night eating disrupts the body’s rhythm. Insulin levels rise, cleansing processes are interrupted, and melatonin production — the hormone responsible for sleep and regeneration drops significantly. This creates a favorable environment for the growth of harmful cells, including cancer cells, which do not follow the body’s biological clock and use glucose as "fuel" to grow.

Studies show that those who eat after 8:00 PM have a 2–3 times higher risk of obesity, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer. Therefore, one of the simplest yet most powerful strategies for preserving health is overnight fasting.