It’s not just a question of “doing your 8 hours”. According to several studies, the time you fall asleep could have a direct impact on your metabolic health.
When the biological clock influences metabolism
Sleeping after midnight, especially regularly, could increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A discovery that confirms what many sleep specialists and chronobiological health had long been suspected. Our body works according to circadian rhythms, these internal 24 -hour cycles which regulate, among other things, our sleep, our body temperature, our digestion and our hormonal production. Disturbing these rhythms, by going to very late hours, can cause imbalances, especially in the management of fats and sugar.
An American study published in 2022 in the Revue de la Physiologique Society highlighted metabolic differences marked between the “lève-Tête” and the “layer-tard”. Researchers have observed that people who tend to go to bed late at night have less effective metabolism, especially in the use of fats as a source of energy. Result: a faster accumulation of fats in the body and a reduced sensitivity to insulin – a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT late: A duo at risk
Participants in this study were divided into two groups according to their chronotype. The first, made up of morning people, was active early during the day. The second, people with an offbeat rate, tended to be more awake and active in the evening, even during the night. All participants followed a similar diet, allowing researchers to better isolate the effects of sleep pace.
The measures taken at the end of the experience revealed that the “tarder” presented a less good regulation of their metabolism, a greater fat accumulation, and less ability to mobilize fat to produce energy. These factors are directly associated with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
In France, diabetes in constant progress
According to Public Health France, around 3.5 million people are currently treated for diabetes. And this figure could further increase if the lifestyles are increasingly moving away from the natural rhythms of the body. In addition to food or physical activity, sleep – and more precisely its timing – is now considered an essential pillar of prevention.
The idea is not necessarily to follow a military routine, rather to tend towards a regularity: to bed at a fixed time, ideally before midnight, and to avoid too disturbing your sleep monitoring rate, even on weekends.
Profits that go beyond diabetes
Sleeping earlier and adopting a structured morning routine can also have positive effects on other aspects of health: improvement in mood, drop in stress, better concentration and even reduction in cardiovascular risks. To benefit from the positive effects of an early awakening, it is essential to respect the prerequisite: a bedtime early. Because a chronic lack of sleep or a too offbeat rhythm ends up, in the long term, by altering the vital functions of the body.
Did you think that only the duration and quality of your sleep had? Sleeping time also plays a key role. What if, ultimately going to bed earlier was an act of daily prevention?
