In this period of holidays, it happens to everyone to make some exceptions to the rule. Maybe, given the change of schedules, it becomes easier being in the middle of the night having a meal, or even just a snack. In some ways, the situation of those who find themselves in need of work or shifts to stay awake at night, perhaps with a growing appetite, is repeated. An advice?
Try to avoid food at night, because it could be a further mechanism that paves the way for alterations in metabolism. It is not only important what you eat, but also how much you eat, in short, at least according to what is reported by a research conducted on very few young people, which has examined precisely the different response of the organism when you tend to have a night meal.
Respect the meal times
The investigation, which appeared on Science Advances, certainly curious, it offers a further key to understanding the complexity of our organism’s response if the biological clock is altered in some way. Two small groups of young people were examined, perfectly healthy and used to working at night, who had practically overlapping caloric intake for two weeks divided into two meals. Only in one group did they proceed to consume food following the canonical rhythms, while in the other the same composition of the meal, in terms of quality and quantity, it was consumed at night. Then it was evaluated what was happening.
Well, in those who ate at night there was a significant increase in blood sugar levels, obviously compared to those who, despite working at night, ate regularly respecting the lunch and dinner times. In short: if the night snack becomes a habit, even regardless of what you eat, the risk of “skewing” the metabolic mechanisms that govern weight control and regulate blood glucose levels may deteriorate more quickly. All this obviously without considering the “stress” induced by the need to work at night.
In short: it seems that the internal clock of our body, adapted to have activity and therefore nutrition during the day, really struggles to regulate itself with unplanned nutrition when the moon is shining in the sky. All this also helps to explain the reasons why sleeping well, and for the right time, becomes a sort of control mechanism even for apparently distant functions, such as the control of metabolism, body weight and risk of developing diabetes and other problems. The night fastingin short, it would be a kind of protective mechanism that helps us feel better.
The importance of breakfast
Set aside the right amount of time for a first date with food. For breakfast it takes at least ten minutes, not limited to the classic coffee drunk in a hurry. And, if possible, also consider this moment in a psychological key, so it is better to have breakfast with others. But let’s go back to the importance of night rest and the need to feed on waking up. When we forget to have breakfast, we force the body to move from the resting state to maximum activity without providing enough fuel. And it is a mistake.
Breakfast in the morning is essential to break the fast, because the body goes to rest at night. Upon awakening the liver is forced to throw out the nutrients it has set aside, and therefore it is easy to run into a situation of hypoglycemia. Breakfast has the task of avoiding this condition, and above all it allows not to trigger a “hunger” mechanism which is then maintained throughout the day. As if that weren’t enough, skipping the first appointment with food risks “skewing” regulation of appetite throughout the day. And maybe you overdo it at the meal.
Result: eventually the calorie count goes up, and if you do not consume the excess energy accumulated with food. Proof? Even if many don’t think about it, those who don’t eat breakfast are at greater risk of becoming obese. According to science, subjects who regularly eat breakfast, despite having a significantly higher daily calorie intake, have minor overweight and obesity problems. Most studies have confirmed the association between not having breakfast and having a higher body mass index (a parameter that allows you to correctly measure any overweight).
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