• Posted April 27, 2026

Late-Night Noshing Could Contribute To Stress-Related Bathroom Problems

Late-night snacking could be worsening your stress-related bowel problems, a new study says.

People who eat lots after 9 p.m. can be more than twice as likely to experience constipation and diarrhea, researchers will report at the upcoming Digestive Disease Week meeting in Chicago.

“It’s not just what you eat, but when you eat it,” lead researcher Dr. Harika Dadigiri said in a news release. She’s a resident physician at New York Medical College at Saint Mary’s and Saint Clare’s Hospital in New Jersey.

“And when we’re already under stress, that timing may deliver a ‘double hit’ to gut health,” Dadigiri said.

For the new study, researchers analyzed data from more than 11,000 people participating in a federally funded survey of health and nutrition.

Results showed that people with higher levels of body stress – high cholesterol, blood pressure and body mass index (an estimate of body fat based on height and weight) – who consumed more than 25% of their daily calories after 9 p.m. were 70% more likely to have constipation or diarrhea than those with less stress who didn’t eat late at night.

The team also analyzed 4,000 other people participating in a gut health study, and found that those with high stress levels and late-night eating habits were 2.5 times as likely to report bowel problems.

Those folks with bowel problems had significantly lower diversity of gut bacteria, suggesting that meal timing might magnify the effects of stress on a person’s GI health, researchers said.

This doesn’t mean people should cut snacking completely, but they might consider treating themselves earlier in the evening, researchers said.

"I'm not the ice cream police,” Dadigiri said. “Everyone should eat their ice cream — maybe preferably earlier in the day. Small, consistent habits, like maintaining a structured meal routine, may help promote more regular eating patterns and support digestive function over time.”

Dadigiri is scheduled to present these findings May 4 at the Digestive Disease Week meeting, which is jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract.

Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

Northwell Health has more on stress and gut health.

SOURCE: Digestive Disease Week, news release, April 23, 2026