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Late dinners, sedentary commutes, limited post-meal activity and caffeine consumption close to bedtime are emerging as recurring lifestyle patterns associated with poorer wellness scores among urban Indians, according to the India Wellness Index 2026 by EYVA.
The firm analysed more than 3.5 million de-identified readings across metabolic, cardiovascular and respiratory wellness from over 30,000 EYVA users across India, primarily from urban areas. It found that around 54 per cent of users consumed their last large meal after 9 pm, with late-dinner nights associated with lower sleep scores and higher next-morning glucose trends against individual baselines. The report said heavy, late, salty and fried meal patterns were also correlated with elevated vascular pressure trends in about one in three users, with the trend highest in Delhi. It added that roughly two out of three families who shared the same meal showed divergent next-morning glucose and recovery trends, highlighting differences in individual responses. Post-meal activity was associated with more favourable trends, with 37 per cent of users who logged some activity, including short walks, showing 12-16 per cent flatter post-meal glucose trends and better sleep. Around 40 per cent of users also consumed caffeine within six hours of bedtime, while elevated night-time heart-rate trends were observed on roughly a quarter of nights associated with late meals, late caffeine, stress and, in northern India, poor air quality. The report highlighted regional differences in wellness patterns. In Delhi-NCR, outdoor activity fell by around 30 per cent during peak-smog winter weeks, while metabolic wellness scores declined by around 6-9 per cent during prolonged smog stretches. In Mumbai, 64 per cent of recorded final meals occurred after 9:30 pm, while 52 per cent of users primarily commuted by local train or public transport. In Bengaluru, 44 per cent of users recorded long sedentary commutes or travel windows on workdays, associated with around 18 per cent lower daily movement on such days. In Hyderabad, around 64 per cent of working professionals among EYVA users ate their last meal after 10 pm, with less stable glucose trends and metabolic scores the following morning. EYVA Founder and CEO Sunil Maddikatla said poor wellness scores were rarely attributable to a single factor, with multiple lifestyle patterns potentially creating a compounding effect. The firm also found that users who made and maintained small behavioural changes saw wellness scores rise by approximately 8-12 per cent over three months. EYVA cautioned that its findings represent its urban, smartphone-skewed user community and identify directional patterns rather than establish medical causation. (ANI)
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