Sleep, Exercise, and Food

New research out of Northwestern Medicine once again shows that muscle cells are more responsive to sugar metabolism when exercised during a creature’s (in this case a mouse’s) normal waking hours. Since the genes activated by properly timed-exercise are also found in humans, the researchers believe their findings will also apply to people. What they found was that mice did not metabolize sugar into lactic acid as effectively when they exercised during the day (since mice or nocturnal) or when their circadian rhythms were artificially modified.

I’ve written many times before about how when you eat can be as important as what you eat and this new research reaffirms that. This week, I wanted to point back to some of the articles concerning sleep and late night eating for those that may have missed it. Check out the following articles if you’re curious about:

1. The sleep loss / weight gain vicious cycle. Learn how a bad night’s sleep not only makes you physically more likely to gain wait, but how it actually impacts your choices and willpower to make you more likely to eat fattening foods. Not only that, but you’ll learn how those same fattening foods then negatively impact your sleep, which keeps you trapped in this vicious cycle.

2. Why late night eating leads to weight gain. I’ve seen many people claim that eating late at night is no more harmful than eating during the day and it’s the choice of foods that matters. While it’s true people tend to eat lower quality food later at night, anything you eat will be more likely to mess up your body’s chemistry and fuel weight gain and metabolic disorders. Find out why we’re meant to eat during the day and why late night eating is so harmful.

3. Late night fasting and longevity. While the article above shows why eating late at night can be harmful to your health, this one explains how fasting through the night greatly improves your health and longevity. We live in a harmful environment and our bodies have evolved important mechanisms to repair the damage we accumulate on a daily basis. Learn one simple rule that can extend your life and protect you from age-related diseases like cancer.