Nighttime eating increased cortisol output during simulated night shifts
Meal and snack conditions produced higher cortisol output than no nighttime meal, while consecutive simulated shifts also changed the timing pattern of this hormone.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
In this laboratory setting, eating a meal or snack during the night increased total cortisol output compared with not eating at that time. Consecutive simulated night shifts also altered the hormone's daily pattern. These are short-term hormone findings; the study does not establish that the observed changes caused illness or other clinical harm.
Participants were healthy non-shift workers completing a brief simulation. The abstract reports cortisol measurements, so it cannot establish long-term health effects or show whether the same pattern occurs in people routinely working nights.
What researchers found
Cortisol area under the curve relative to ground
During the simulated night-shift study, both meal and snack conditions were significantly higher than the no-meal condition.
Amount and timing were separate outcomes
Researchers measured cortisol repeatedly during the simulated shifts. Total output compared the eating conditions, while measurements at particular times examined changes across successive nights. These outcomes describe different aspects of the hormone pattern.
The rhythm changed across nights
On the final simulated shift, evening cortisol was higher and early-morning cortisol lower than on the first shift. The abstract does not establish that meals were more disruptive than snacks, or connect these changes to measured disease outcomes.
The original publication
Exploring circadian and meal timing impacts on cortisol during simulated night shifts.
Grosser L, Yates C, Dorrian J et al.
Sleep · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 40838738
- Record checked
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