Early bird diners are on the rise in Boston

It's not just the sunset that's getting earlier. More Bostonians, some of whom continue to work remotely, are making earlier dinner reservations — 5pm early.

By the numbers: 5pm dinner reservations are more popular now than they've been in the last five years, according to data Resy shared with Axios.

Boston-area reservations on the platform in 2023 for 5-6pm are up 1.4% compared to 2019 numbers.

• And reservations made for the 8 o'clock hour have dropped almost 2%.

Boston's uptick in 5pm dining is less than the 2.1% increase seen nationwide, but the city is still one of several in the U.S. seeing a slight but persistent climb.

• Chicago and D.C. saw a 1.3% increase, while New Orleans went up 2% and Nashville 3%.

What they're saying: Eating dinner early could benefit your metabolic health, experts say.

• Limiting your calorie intake close to bedtime — about three to four hours before bed — could help with blood sugar control and weight management, says Frank Scheer, Harvard Medical School professor and Medical Chronobiology Program director.
• The reason is likely connected to the circadian clock, which reduces the energy we burn after a meal in the evening, he says.

Meanwhile, it's not just dinners that are happening at 5pm — so are workouts.

• According to Future fitness app data from April to June 2023, 5pm was the most popular time to start a workout among a sample of 20,000 users.
• That's a major shift from 2019, when the app's most popular workout start time was before 7am, possibly ahead of a work commute.

Zoom out: The shift to eating and exercising while the sun's still out appears to be part of a larger trend to prioritize work-life balance and sleep over hustle culture.