After 60, many people notice their sleep isn’t what it used to be. Falling asleep takes longer, waking up in the middle of the night becomes more common, and mornings don’t always feel refreshing.
One habit that quietly causes a lot of this trouble is eating too late in the evening. It’s easy to overlook, especially if you’ve done it your whole life. But aging changes how your body handles food at night.
Understanding why late eating disrupts sleep — and what to do instead — can make a noticeable difference without medication.
Why This Matters More After 60
As we age, digestion slows and insulin sensitivity changes. Meals that were once easy to handle late at night now demand more work from the body.
The National Institute on Aging explains that sleep patterns change with age, making sleep more sensitive to behaviors that interfere with the body’s natural wind-down process.
The Harvard Health “8 Secrets to a Good Night’s Sleep” article notes that simple habits — such as consistent routines, a calm evening environment, and avoiding late meals — support better sleep quality.
Eating late keeps your digestive system active at a time when your body should be shifting into recovery mode. Instead of winding down, your system stays “on,” which can interfere with sleep-promoting hormones such as melatonin.
This can lead to trouble falling asleep, nighttime awakenings, and light, unrefreshing sleep.
How Late Eating Disrupts Sleep
Digestion competes with sleep.
Digesting food requires energy, blood flow, and nervous system activity. When this happens late at night, your body struggles to fully relax.
Blood sugar fluctuations.
Late meals can cause blood sugar to rise and fall during the night, which may trigger hormones like cortisol and adrenaline that wake you up.
Body temperature stays elevated.
Eating raises core body temperature. Sleep requires a slight drop in temperature, and late meals can delay this process, making it harder to fall and stay asleep.
Simple Habits That Actually Help
Stop eating 3–4 hours before bed.
This gives digestion time to settle before sleep. If bedtime is 10 p.m., aim to finish dinner by 6–7 p.m.
Walk for 15–20 minutes after dinner.
Light movement after meals supports digestion and helps signal that the eating window is closing. Gentle post-meal activity can also support a calmer evening routine, which the Harvard Health article highlights as beneficial for sleep.
Hydrate earlier in the evening.
Drinking most fluids earlier supports digestion without increasing nighttime bathroom trips that fragment sleep.
Avoid late snacking.
Even small snacks restart digestion. If hunger is an issue, dinner may need more protein or healthy fats.
Create a calming evening routine.
According to Harvard Health, establishing a relaxing pre-sleep routine — such as dimming lights, quiet time, and consistent timing — helps the brain transition to sleep more easily, which complements the benefit of finishing meals earlier in the evening.
The Bottom Line
After 60, sleep becomes more sensitive to habits that once didn’t matter much. Late eating is one of the biggest — and most fixable — disruptors.
Stopping food intake a few hours before bed doesn’t require supplements or strict diets. It simply gives your body the quiet time it needs to rest properly. Coupled with calming evening habits and consistent routines, many people find that sleep quality improves significantly.
If you try just one thing this week, finish your last meal earlier and take a short walk afterward. It’s often surprising how quickly sleep improves when evening routines support the body’s natural rhythms.