Sleep deprivation: 385 extra calories

”Midnight is when the fridge calls to me like a siren song"– Oprah Winfrey.

The hidden reason behind nighttime waking.

Your blood sugar level affects more than just diabetes prevention. It directly impacts the quality of your sleep!

One often overlooked cause of nighttime waking is a sudden blood sugar drop known as nocturnal hypoglycemia. Surprisingly, this problem isn't just a concern for people with diabetes - and it's easy to miss.

Why does blood sugar drop at night?

1. During sleep, your body works hard to recover, using energy from glucose stores.

2. People with unstable metabolism or who wait a long time between their last meal and bedtime may experience significant blood sugar drops.

3. This decrease triggers your body's stress response, raising cortisol levels and potentially causing you to wake up.

Symptoms of nocturnal hypoglycemia:

• Sudden waking with feelings of anxiety or a racing heart

• Excessive sweating during sleep

• Experiencing nightmares or feeling restless

• Feeling irritable or confused when you wake up

How to stabilize your blood sugar:

• Eat a balanced evening meal. Include proteins and complex carbohydrates before bed to maintain steady blood sugar levels.

• To avoid dramatic blood sugar swings, limit foods with high glycemic indexes, like sweets or white bread, especially in the evening.

Nocturnal hypoglycemia signals that your body's balance is off. Paying attention to your diet and sleep quality can improve your overall well-being and reduce the risk of serious metabolic issues.

Some more facts about lack of sleep:

One night of limited sleep could make you eat nearly 385 extra calories.

The outcome was clear when researchers reviewed data from 11 sleep studies involving more than 170 people. Limited sleep (typically about four hours a night) caused people to eat more than they did after a full night's rest.

Poor sleep drives insulin resistance.

Another revealing study showed that one night of sleep deprivation led to impairments in insulin sensitivity, similar to those caused by six months of eating a poor diet.

We already understand sleep and its importance for metabolic health!

Now about melatonin - two recent studies were released:

One analyzed what happens to our sleep when we take melatonin in different doses at different times before bed:

1. Dosage and effectiveness.
   A meta-analysis showed that melatonin effectively reduces the time to fall asleep and increases total sleep time.
   Studies have shown that the optimal dose is about 4 mg per day, while standard clinical practice often recommends 2 mg.

2. Timing of intake.
   Studies show that you should take melatonin 1-3 hours before your intended sleep for maximum effectiveness.
   The greatest effect was observed when taking it 3 hours before sleep. Taking it closer to bedtime typically reduces its impact on total sleep time.

3. Insomnia patients vs. healthy volunteers.
   The supplement was more effective for healthy people than insomnia patients, indicating possible unique interactions with sleep rhythms and disorder characteristics.

4. Supplement types.
   Extended-release melatonin has a smoother effect, which may be useful for longer sleep, but immediate-release forms also showed good effectiveness in reducing the time to fall asleep.

5. Dosage and schedule optimization.
   The authors suggest revising standard clinical recommendations. They believe that using doses above 2 mg and taking them earlier will improve the therapeutic effects for people who struggle to fall and stay asleep.

The second study analyzed the contents of melatonin products in America.

Researchers purchased 110 supplements marketed as "contains melatonin" and targeted at children.

The study used a high-precision LC-MS/MS method to measure melatonin content and identify other important compounds, such as serotonin and its derivatives.

The actual melatonin content varied from 0% to 667% compared to the amount stated on the label.

These findings allow important conclusions about the safety of melatonin supplements for children and highlight the need to consider factors affecting melatonin concentration, such as compound stability and product composition.

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