Hey kids! Do you like number crunching? Manipulating other people like marionettes? Watching people do intimate things when they think they’re alone and recording them? And then telling the whole world about it? If so, then human research is the job for you! But seriously, this new crop of health research is all about what people do in the dark and if you’ve ever wanted to try out being a professional creeper then you’re going to love this. Although, just FYI, the “intimate things” I’m referring to are eating, sleeping and excreting.
(Is this a good time to tell you that there is already video of me using the bathroom floating around out there? In college my best friends worked at a gas station who was managed by a guy who thought it would be awesome to hide a camera in the ladies’ restroom and film us all doing our duty, er, doody. The only reason we ever found out was ’cause he started showing it to people and got arrested. If that’s not reason enough to bring back aprons as a fashion statement, I don’t know what is!)
Anyhow, back to bedtime! Three new studies released in the past week have interesting things to say about what our bodies do while we’re not aware of them and how we can best manipulate this knowledge for everyone’s fave activity: Losing weight. Kidding! The studies actually have a lot of interesting things to say about how to improve your cognitive abilities, reduce inflammation, and tap into your body’s natural rhythms.
Carbs at Night, Dieter’s Delight
“Carb back-loading” – or eating your daily allotment of baked sweet potatoes in the evening – is not a new concept, especially among people who are particularly concerned with manipulating their body composition, like body builders. But this is one of the first studies to try and see if there is any truth in the tale. In an Israeli study of 78 Israeli police officers (I don’t know why that tidbit about their profession amuses me so much but it does), the gun-toting citizen-protecting faculties-needing officers were put on a diet of 1300 calories a day and then divided into two groups. All macronutrient ratios were held equal but the first group ate their carbs spread out over the day while the second group ate the majority of their carbs right before bed.
The results were, frankly, freaking amazing. “Nighttime carb eaters lost 27 percent more body fat than people on the standard diet. Surprisingly, they also felt 13.7 percent fuller at the end of the study than the beginning, while regular dieters were hungrier. What’s more, the level of inflammatory hormones — which can lead to heart disease and cancer — in the nighttime group’s blood decreased by 27.8 percent compared to only 5.8 percent in the standard dieters.”
I mean thirteen POINT SEVEN percent fuller?! I love it when researchers write stuff like that. But yeah, I’d take it, fractional percentage and all. Going to bed with a growly tummy doesn’t just make Pooh Bears cranky. And all diet talk aside, the part that stood out to me most was the decrease in inflammatory hormones – something all of us could use no matter what our weight.
Verdict: I knew there was a reason I love a big bowl of coconut-oil popcorn right before bed!
Segmented Sleep, Not Just For Worms Anymore
The second study hearkens way back to the days before electric lighting when people were basically forced to sleep and rise with the sun. (Do candle light or kerosene lamps count? I have no idea.) Researchers have long posited – and this has been born out in artificial lab studies – that the human body left to its own devices will sleep in a very different pattern than the one imposed on it by modern living. In previous studies, people given no light cues slept an average of 10 hours a night and after a few weeks stopped sleeping all of them in a row. Rather, the people fell into a pattern of “segmented sleep” or alternating periods of sleep and wakefulness scattered throughout the day.
It sounds insane at first to those of us who’ve been told all our lives to get our 8 hours of beauty rest every night but scientists point out that segmented sleep is actually built in to many cultures – like the afternoon siesta in Spain. Looking at records of sleep patterns from as far back as the 6th century, they found even more evidence of a “first sleep” from nightfall until around midnight, followed by a 1-2 hour period of wakefulness and then a “second sleep” from 2 am until dawn.
But how does that work in a modern world? In this study “subjects grew to like experiencing nighttime in a new way. Once they broke their conception of what form sleep should come in, they looked forward to the time in the middle of the night as a chance for deep thinking of all kinds, whether in the form of self-reflection, getting a jump on the next day or amorous activity.” The key, notes one scientist , is to “break the tyranny of the 8-hour block.”
While this approach is great for taking some of the stress out of insomnia, the second and equally important factor is that if people are given time to wake in the night then they must also be given time to sleep during the day. Much research has been done into the effectiveness and power of the short afternoon nap and perhaps this is why?
Verdict: Sleep is still one of the most important things you can do for your health. And you still need at least 7-8 hours of it. But if your schedule allows it, a little flexibility might allow for better productivity and less stress. Over the past few weeks I’ve noticed something interesting. I’ll get up to take Jelly Bean to the potty (little girl is SO good about not wetting her bed!) and then after tucking her back in, I’ve found that some of my best thinking/writing comes to me. So I’ll stay up for an hour and jot stuff down. The other night I got more work done in that one hour than I usually get done in three. My fingers could barely keep up with all my thoughts! I don’t do this every night but when it happens at least I don’t have to feel guilty about it!
Sleep Yourself Smarter
Lastly we have an interesting study from Harvard where Alzheimer’s disease researchers Dr. Richard Isaacson and Dr. Christopher Ochner stumbled across something that will help all humans with brains. (Sorry dolphins, we’ll catch you on the next go-round I’m sure, when you show up in your space pods as our benevolent overlords.) As the doctors were examining the effects of diet on the progression of Alzheimer’s and MCI (mild cognitive impairment) they discovered that no matter what the people ate, as long as they had a 12-hour break between dinner and the next morning’s breakfast, they had significant cognitive improvement. They literally slept themselves smarter.
The researchers explain, “Fasting for 12 hours at night is the safest way to put the body into mild “dietary ketosis,” a state in which the brain must use ketones as fuel because there’s not enough available glucose. Ketones not only protect brain cells, they also improve memory function in patients with Alzheimer’s and MCI, because their brains have a decreased ability to use glucose.” Apparently these findings held true even in populations without the illnesses. And on the flip side, a study from the Mayo Clinic found that overeating can double your rate of memory loss.
Verdict: Surprisingly this is something I already do. When I first started Intuitive Eating and stopped being a slave to my “six mini-meals a day”, I found that my natural hunger led me to eat an evening snack (yes, usually something carb-o-riffic, like in the first study) and then I’m not hungry immediately upon waking. I usually have a huge drink of something warm (unsweetened lemon herb tea is my current fave) and then a couple of hours later eat breakfast. All told it works out to about 12 hours of “fasting” every night and I don’t feel any hunger. (And if I do? I eat. I’m not going to become a slave to the 12-hour window either – it just happens to feel right most of the time.)
Conclusion
Basically I take this as more evidence that you should just do whatever feels best to you and your body So whether you prefer conventional health wisdom (“No carbs after 2” “8 straight hours of sleep” “Mini-meals”) or if you’re like me, now you have research that supports whatever works for you. For me, I love it when research tells me to do what I’m already doing! And without guilt! Bring on the popcorn, naps and late breakfasts!
What about you – do any of these studies surprise you like they did me? Do you naturally already do any of these things? Do they change your mind about your eating, sleeping and excreting habits?
*And how to make my 3-year-old imp GO TO BED ALREADY. Mommy is NOT a perpetual motion machine!
And now I’m officially confused. For years we have been told that eating carbs at night will make us gain weight, and now it’s the opposite!?
I love taking a nap on a lazy Sunday afternoon, but my full-time desk job and housewife duties usually don’t leave me enough time for a nap during the day. I probably need to move to Spain.
That 12-hour fasting thing only works or me on weekends, when I get more than 6 hours of sleep. But I could work on that.
I was just coming to comment the same thing about carbs! I’ve always, always heard that you should eat carbs in the morning or for lunch, and then cut back in the afternoon and evenings, just like your heavier meals should be in the morning and lighter ones in the evening. Sigh. I never know what to eat, let alone when to eat it!
I never need a second invitation to snooze. Bring on the nanna naps!!! 😀
I often have periods of insomnia when I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to sleep for a few hours. I used to really stress about it, but in the last couple years I’ve realized that I don’t feel tired all day. It may be tough to get up, but once I get going I forget all about it. It really does feel line it’s natural. Now I just need to convince my 3 yr old to keep napping so Mommy can too!
I don’t have anything relevant to add to the discussion, but I have to say that the comic at the beginning pretty much describes my sleeping habits throughout my childhood years through my teens. If anything is exposed from a blanket or hanging defenseless off a bed, monsters will munch on it 🙁
I never understod the “eating carbs at night will make you fat cause you don’t have time to burn them off” theory. (your body only burns calories when you’re moving? Your body only burns calories from the food you ate immediately after you ate it? Huh?) eating carbs right before bed seems similarly odd to me-unless it’s that they got the benefit from eating the carbs all at once instead of throughout the day and the right-before-bed part is just what they picked for the study?
For every study, there is another one that debunks it. This study says don’t eat at night! This study says do eat at night! But wait, this new study says not to eat at night! Eat at night so your muscles don’t atrophy! But don’t eat carbs! Actually, eat carbs!
I’ll eat what I want when I want it, and science be damned.
Pppppptttttthhhhhh. 😛
I typically eat the bulk of my carbs (and most foods, for that matter) at night and usually end up not eating again for 12 hours or more after dinner. No reason, just when I felt hungry. But…I don’t think it’s had any impact on my size because I still struggle with being overweight. Still interesting information, though!
This is very interesting stuff. As the mother of a very poor sleeper, I’m encouraged by the study about sleeping in 2 shifts….maybe we can make this a positive thing for all of us afterall! I’m super surprised by the carb study though. I feel like I’ve always heard to not eat late at night and perhaps even to eat lighter in the evening. As I eat intuitively (and, sometimes, socially), I’m not sure I really do that, but I’ve always thought it was the ideal. Thanks for shedding some light on this and opening my mind to new possibilities!
I feel the same as you Charlotte, I love when science validates what I’m already doing! And it so rarely happens I have to rejoice when I can. My natural eating pattern is no breakfast (food in the mornings makes me sick), light lunch, and heavy (carb-dense) dinner + dessert. So I’m super excited about this. I’d love to take more naps (and sometimes I squeeze on in between work and the gym) but that’s hard. And I tend to be such a heavy sleeper, I can’t imagine waking up for an hour or 2 and then sleeping more.
Wow that Isreali study is amazing…hmm. I read about carb-backloading and didn’t buy it. Don’t ask me why. But my trainer’s nutrition plan has carbs surrounding workouts, and in the morning, not at night. Now that I think about it though, at my thinnest, I was eating carbs around the clock, and often had popcorn as my bedtime snack. I know she has tried carb backloading, too. Thanks for giving me something to think about, maybe I should pay attention to my body more. I guess I already do know what works for me. 😉
These recent studies are why I have never been one to jump on any band wagon. I think there is a lot to be said for listening to our own unique bodies!
As far as carbs – I’m happy to have them anytime!!!
And the sleep thing – I just take whatever I can get – often in 1-2 hour windows with and hour of being awake in between. (good thing I like to read!!!)
This has been my sleep pattern for a couple of weeks, and while I don’t mind (I’m currently unemployed, so I don’t have to be up at a certain time), it’s taken some getting used to. I don’t want to get out of bed (it’s warm!), because I know I’ll start doing something and then be awake for way too many hours. I don’t want to write posts, because then my brain just starts thinking of all these other ideas and it’s hard to go back to sleep. However, in reading your post, I was wondering if meditation would be a good use of my time. I’m already in a quiet place, why not take advantage of it!
I really think people over think this eating thing. It doesn’t really need to be difficult or complicated. Obesity is a relatively new problem that has developed over the last 30 years. All we really need to do is to eat more natural foods. If it grows, eat it. If man made it, alters it, pollutes it or markets it, run.
At the same time, I have been avoiding starchy and sugary carbs during the day to stay more alert and energetic. At night, I try to add a starchy carb, like sweet potato, and it helps me wind down and sleep better.
Great article and good job finding research to support your points.
Interesting post! I was wondering about changes in the season and how that would affect how much sleep you get. For example, if you follow that sleep schedule in the winter you would go to bed at 5:30pm , sleep until midnight, up for two hours, then sleep until 7:15am. In the summer you wouldn’t go to bed until maybe 8pm. Did the study say anything about that? Thanks!
I don’t do well with segmented sleep, though I do love love love a nap when I get a chance to zonk out on the couch for 30 mins. I’m now working on a plan that’s very carb heavy, but it tapers your carbs off at night (i.e. your dinner should be 50% carbs, your breakfast should be 85% carbs) and if you have to snack at night, eat protein. Also, it’s a carb ORGY before/during/after workouts. It’s a little weird getting used to but I’m having some kick butt workout days!
I always love reading this but in the end, since so often study results change 5-10 yrs later, I usually do what feels right for me! 🙂
My husband is going to be incredibly interested in these studies. The sleep pattern you described fits him to a T. He wakes up in the middle of the night, and embraces with a passion daytime naps. Trying to fit into a “traditional” schedule makes him feel like a kitty with tape on its paws.
I like to carb it at night. I’ve always felt shame that I don’t feel shame about it. Now I will shame shame itself!!! Mmwhahahahaha…
The cartoon at the top, amazing. I keep all appendages within the boundaries of my mattress at all times!
Thanks for some truly beneficial info (as always!). <3
So interesting, as usual Charlotte! I know sleep is important- I’m currently dealing with the lack of sleep atm ugh..
Alas, please note that the first study was on men. And while there might be a small improvement in BF for women (or other hormonal improvements), they are not anywhere near the same. Most of the carb back-loading theory works because of testosterone.
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