Oh, what a groundbreaking revelation we have here! In a stunning display of stating the obvious, a cross-sectional study with a whopping 34 participants (because that’s clearly enough to generalize to the entire adult population) has graced us with the knowledge that chowing down on fats right before bedtime might just mess with your sleep. Who would’ve thought, right?

These intrepid researchers, armed with wrist actigraphy and polysomnography (fancy words for sleep trackers), set out to discover if stuffing your face with carbs, fats, proteins, or sodium within three hours of hitting the hay would turn your night into a fragmented mess. And lo and behold, they found that fats might be the sleep-disrupting culprits (β = 4.48, p = 0.01). But wait, there’s more – or rather, there isn’t. No other associations were found with any other macronutrients or sodium. It’s almost as if our bodies don’t like digesting a big meal when we’re trying to snooze.

And for those who were on the edge of their seats wondering about the precise timing of their last bite of steak before bed, the study found no associations with sleep duration. So, you can rest easy (or not, depending on your fat intake) knowing that the exact minute you stop eating doesn’t seem to matter.

In summary, this study suggests that fats might be the bad guys when it comes to sleep quality, but as for the rest of your late-night snack? Apparently, it’s off the hook. Sleep tight, and maybe skip the midnight cheese platter.