work a daytime shift

[speeddemon]

I just learned about this study that said that shift workers that have to work overnights a lot or really late nights so that they don’t sleep like normal people have a way higher risk of being obese and having heart disease. To me, that sounds like if you are trying to lose weight, then you will have a lot better luck if you try to stick to a daytime shift if you can. I don’t really know why that was the result of the study, but dieting is hard enough as it is without extra crap in the way, so you may as well use all the tips and tricks to keep ahead of the game, right?

[kellykatt]

That's really rough, since most people who are on shift work don't really have that much control over the hours that they work.

I know that my last job that had shifts was pretty much set in stone. You worked the hours that they gave you, or you looked for work somewhere else.

I guess this also means that if you are working odd hours or night shifts, that you need to take extra steps to make sure that you are eating right and exercising regularly so that you will be able to lose the weight.

[Nelly]

This is very curious. I wonder why this is the case and if it is true of all people who work night shifts or just some.

I was a night owl for most of my life and I didn't find that it had any real impact on my weight. I don't mean that I just stayed up a little bit late. I was usually going to bed at around 5am and getting up around noon or one in the afternoon.

I wonder what it is about the sleep schedule that is messing things up. If it is the body's production of melatonin, perhaps, that impacts fat storage. Or maybe people who work night shifts are more likely to eat fast food because they're more tired and less likely to eat meals with their families.

[silvertoes]

It is because our body has their own internal clock 'circadian cycle' and this clock is regulated by a hormone called melatonin.

Melatonin is an important regulator of adipose tissue in mammals, which burns calories by ramping up the body’s metabolism. So if you have inadequate amounts of melatonin in the body (which you can get at when you sleep at night time) most probably it has a direct effect on your eating patterns.

Then there was this called hormone ghrelin which tends to cause an increase in hunger and a simultaneous decrease in the hormone leptin that suppresses hunger when we were deprived of sleep and also tend to crave high-fat, high-sugar foods.

[tammybear]

It is because our body has their own internal clock 'circadian cycle' and this clock is regulated by a hormone called melatonin.

Melatonin is an important regulator of adipose tissue in mammals, which burns calories by ramping up the body’s metabolism. So if you have inadequate amounts of melatonin in the body (which you can get at when you sleep at night time) most probably it has a direct effect on your eating patterns.

Then there was this called hormone ghrelin which tends to cause an increase in hunger and a simultaneous decrease in the hormone leptin that suppresses hunger when we were deprived of sleep and also tend to crave high-fat, high-sugar foods.

That's really interesting! Do you have any idea how the cycle knows that it's day or night and if it's possible to ever get used to a backward schedule? The reason I ask is that if you were to move to a place that was on the other side of the world, would you always be a little messed up because your body's cycle is on the wrong way around, or would you be able to get used to it? I know that's a bit of a random example, but I'm really interested in this and you sound like you really know about this issue.

[silvertoes]

That's really interesting! Do you have any idea how the cycle knows that it's day or night and if it's possible to ever get used to a backward schedule? The reason I ask is that if you were to move to a place that was on the other side of the world, would you always be a little messed up because your body's cycle is on the wrong way around, or would you be able to get used to it? I know that's a bit of a random example, but I'm really interested in this and you sound like you really know about this issue.

As far as I know, the circadian cycle or rhythms are produced naturally in our body. Light is the main cue in influencing the circadian rhythm, and that's how it controls our internal clock. When there is less light (night)the brain will produce more melatonin that's why we feel sleepy/drowsy.

When you travel on some other parts of the world, your body clock will eventually reset itself, but it takes few more days to adapt. Jet lag is somewhat related to circadian rhythms as well.

[lia]

As far as I know, the circadian cycle or rhythms are produced naturally in our body. Light is the main cue in influencing the circadian rhythm, and that's how it controls our internal clock. When there is less light (night)the brain will produce more melatonin that's why we feel sleepy/drowsy.

When you travel on some other parts of the world, your body clock will eventually reset itself, but it takes few more days to adapt. Jet lag is somewhat related to circadian rhythms as well.

That's awesome. I've always made jokes about being solar powered because I like going to the beach so much, but I guess it really is true

I wonder if using one of those full spectrum lights would make any difference. Maybe making sure that you aren't in the dark as much while you need to be awake and that you really black out your windows when you need to sleep it might help to flip the body's cycles so that they're the other way around when you have to work at night. Would that work?

[silvertoes]

That's awesome. I've always made jokes about being solar powered because I like going to the beach so much, but I guess it really is true

I wonder if using one of those full spectrum lights would make any difference. Maybe making sure that you aren't in the dark as much while you need to be awake and that you really black out your windows when you need to sleep it might help to flip the body's cycles so that they're the other way around when you have to work at night. Would that work?

i think so :) but I don't know yet if there's any studies to prove that it works