More and more research is pointing to the fact that weight gain and loss is not as simple as calories in versus calories out. Weight gain is far more frequently a hormone problem, and since light and darkness regulate many of our hormones, the time we go to bed can impact our bodyweight. Many of our hormones are intimately related to circadian rhythms, and their function gets thrown off when we completely ignore the fact that night follows day, and day follows night. During the longer days of summer, mammals are hardwired to find sustenance to store as fat, to help them last the shorter days of winter where they will be either hibernating or eating less due to lack of food availability. In humans, this hardwiring shows up as a desire for carbohydrates. By choosing to stay up with the lights on, watching TV or doing computer work late at night long after the sun has gone down, our hormonal system is fooled into believing that it is still day, resulting in increased cortisol and insulin levels, which makes you want to snack, and most likely on carbohydrates. In today's wealthy countries, winter does not mean a lack of food availability, so late night snacking is often the result. Even if you do not snack, staying up late regularly causes cortisol to release a nightly dose of sugar into the bloodstream for energy, insulin then rises to store that sugar as fat. Constantly high levels of insulin are an important factor in developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. And if you are insulin resistant, smelling a pastry will make you fat! Therefore, fat storage is largely controlled by the amount of light you are exposed to and the insulin resistance it causes. (note: protein types will often sleep better with a small protein snack before bed.) Going to bed by 10pm lowers your night-time cortisol and insulin levels, and raises your melatonin levels, which prevents this whole cycle from developing. Now that it is fall, try to go to bed 15 minutes earlier every week if possible. In the winter most of us need about 9.5 hours of sleep. If you would like to share this post, or if you would like to comment, please go to my blog. If you want to search for other posts by title or by topic, go to www.wellnesstips.ca. Related tipsLight pollution messes with our hormones Insulin, our storage hormone Melatonin, our rest and repair hormone Cortisol, our stress hormone
Copyright 2005 / 2013 Vreni Gurd |
WHY THE FOOD GUIDES ARE WRONG
* You’re eating right but it’s not working? * The weight won’t budge * You have no energy * Your health problems are not going away despite your best efforts? According to epidemiological studies, Cardiovascular disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity and even Osteoporosis are all relatively new diseases that have become very problematic only over the last 100 years, due largely to a major change in our eating habits. Learn what changed, and what you can do to ensure your health and the health of your family. The Food Guides are wrong for about 80% of us. Take the first step towards eating healthier by taking this short 2-hour online nutrition course. Here are what people are saying that took the course:
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