Why skipping breakfast might mess up your body clock when you're pregnant
Chrononutrition is associated with melatonin and cortisol rhythm during pregnancy: Findings from MY-CARE cohort study
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Breakfast skipping was linked to both lower morning cortisol AND higher cortisol amplitude — meaning the hormone didn't just drop, it became more erratic.
Most assume skipping breakfast just makes you tired — but this shows it actually destabilizes your entire stress rhythm, which could be more harmful than just low levels.
Practical Takeaways
Try to keep your eating window under 12 hours — for example, eat between 7am–7pm — and don't skip breakfast, even if you're nauseous. A small banana or toast can help.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Breakfast skipping was linked to both lower morning cortisol AND higher cortisol amplitude — meaning the hormone didn't just drop, it became more erratic.
Most assume skipping breakfast just makes you tired — but this shows it actually destabilizes your entire stress rhythm, which could be more harmful than just low levels.
Practical Takeaways
Try to keep your eating window under 12 hours — for example, eat between 7am–7pm — and don't skip breakfast, even if you're nauseous. A small banana or toast can help.
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Nutrition
Year
2023
Authors
A. N. Teoh, Satvinder Kaur, Siti Raihanah Shafie, N. H. Mohd Shukri, Normina Ahmad Bustami, Masaki Takahashi, S. Shibata
Related Content
Claims (7)
When a person skips breakfast or drinks only caffeine, their blood sugar may drop, leading to an increase in cortisol levels as a physiological response.
Skipping breakfast every day is associated with consistently eating fewer calories and altered timing of cortisol release, which can reduce the body's ability to align its internal clock with daylight cycles.
Pregnant women who do not eat breakfast tend to go to bed and wake up later and prefer evening activities, which may reflect a general shift in their daily biological rhythm rather than just a choice about meals.
In healthy pregnant women, eating over a longer period of time during the day is linked to lower levels of melatonin at night, but only in the third trimester, suggesting that how meals affect sleep hormones changes as pregnancy advances.
Pregnant women who do not eat breakfast tend to have lower levels of cortisol in the morning during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, suggesting a link between skipping this meal and a reduced stress hormone response upon waking.