Americans are sleeping less than 7 hours per night and 30-40% are sleeping less than 6 hours per night. Poor sleep hygiene is linked to metabolic syndrome. When you don't sleep you crave more refined carbs and sugar. If you eat those carbs your lack of sleep increases your fasting blood sugar levels and postprandial or after meal glucose. What can you do to get better sleep?
Our body clock has a rhythm for every organ system. We need food, physical exercise, socialization and exposure to light and dark to optimize our body system rhythms for cellular detoxification, breathing, digestion/elimination, fat burning metabolic hormones, movement, hormone production, brain chemistry and body temperature regulation. This circadian clock shift of less sleep causes high cholesterol, elevated liver enzymes, a 46% increase of developing diabetes, impaired immune function, depression and short sleepers are more likely to be obese.
Small exposures to light alters our circadian rhythm and our ability to burn fat. The worldwide epidemic of obesity and diabetes in humans may be related to night light exposure. Lights are on all the time. Streetlights, digital clocks, T.V.'s and computers are running 24/7 in our bedrooms.
Prolonged exposure to light at night increases the risk of developing cancer, sleep disturbances, mood disorders, metabolic dysfunction, and cognitive impairments. Night shift workers in one study were more obese, have hypertension and high triglycerides or fat in their blood.
Having trouble sleeping? I recommend Xymogen's MelatoninCR and RelaxMax. If your mind also races, I would add SerenX. Call me to order these supplements. They are the highest quality, and my patients tell me they work like a charm.
