Chronobiology

Night Shift Work Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Disease

Night shift work can make you very tired and interfere with your sleep cycles. Alarmingly, a growing body of research suggests that it can also contribute to heart disease.

Anyone who has ever performed night shift work knows that it can have immense effects on your schedule as well as your general feelings of well-being. When you work the night shift, it can be difficult to maintain a schedule, get adequate sleep and avoid feeling fatigued all the time. Sleeping at odd hours, especially during the day, is a challenge for many. The result is fatigue, fuzzy thinking and other complaints. However, the effects of night shift work are not a mere inconvenience. Not only can working nights mess with your sleep and energy, but it can affect your cardiovascular health as well.

How Does Night Shift Work Affect Your Heart?

The Nurses’ Health Study has been following a huge population of nurses(more than 100,000 people) for several decades. One surprising discovery is that people who work the night shift or are on-call at night have an increased risk of mortality by 11 percent. In addition, these workers are between 19 and 23 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular illness. The increased incidence of heart disease and cardiovascular-related death is present even when other variables are the same.

The Physiology of Night Shifts and Heart Disease

Medical researchers have identified a few ways that night shift work can contribute to heart disease. One study found that even a short-term disruption of a person’s natural circadian rhythm can lead to higher blood pressure and increased inflammation, both of which are important risk factors for heart disease.

Another study looked the effect of working irregular hours in health care workers and found that these people have more activity in the sympathetic nervous system. This system is associated with both emotional and physiological stress, the creator of what we call the “fight or flight response.” Health care workers who miss sleep for work have more physiological stress hormones. In addition, they have thickening of the carotid arteries and other signs of developing cardiovascular disease.

Healthcare workers are not the only population where shift work can affect heart health. The CDC and WHO consider shift work a major cause of occupation-related illness due to several studies finding a significant increased risk. Working the night shift is simply not healthy for most people.

New Discoveries, New Approaches

We will always need night shift workers to staff hospitals and in other fields that don’t close down for the night. However, there are ways that knowledge of the link between heart disease and night shift work can be used to improve health. People who work odd hours can be screened earlier and more carefully for cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure to allow early detection and treatment. In addition, melatonin and other supplements may help to prevent cardiovascular disease by helping workers to get adequate rest and maintain a healthy circadian rhythm. Fields where night work is not necessary may consider changing hours so workers can keep a more natural circadian rhythm.

Sleepless nights affect people more than we often realize. New studies are constantly linking surprising diseases with disruptions in the circadian rhythm. Regular sleep of high quality is very important to good health, even if modern life often makes it difficult.

Ten Foods That Help You Sleep

Feb 12 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Having trouble falling or staying asleep? The answer could lie in your kitchen. Foods that help you sleep contain sleep-promoting nutrients that can induce a natural, restful nights’ sleep.

If a survey were to be done asking individuals what they would like to do more of in a typical day, sleep would likely be one of the top answers. For various reasons, many of us lie awake in bed and have the most difficult time falling and staying asleep.

Experts have suggested that when this occurs, we should turn to food as a solution. The nutrients and phytochemicals in certain foods can play the same role in our body as sleeping medications and supplements when the right foods are chosen.

Exploring Foods That Help You Sleep

Foods that help you sleep at night have the ability to stimulate the production and release of certain sleep-promoting brain chemicals. Also, if an underlying condition such as muscle cramps interrupts your sleep, these foods may provide relief of those symptoms as well. To get a better night’s sleep, consider experimenting with these great nighttime snacks.

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are a great source of tryptophan, an essential amino acid. Our bodies convert tryptophan to melatonin during a four-step reaction involving serotonin, a mood-enhancing neurotransmitter. Melatonin is a natural hormone released by the pineal gland that directly promotes sleep. It is commonly used as a dietary supplement and sleep aid.

Almonds

Almonds or almond butter can make a great snack before bedtime. They are a rich source of iron, calcium, zinc, potassium, magnesium and B vitamins. These nutrients offer many benefits to the body as they relax muscles, help regulate brain activity, and increase levels of melatonin. Almonds are also a source of 14 amino acids, one of which is tryptophan.

Cherries

Tart cherries are one of the only natural food sources that can supply our bodies with melatonin, the natural sleep-promoting hormone. When cherries are out of season, you can supplement with a glass of cherry juice or some dried cherries. Researchers who have linked cherries with melatonin suggest eating them one hour before bedtime. Other natural sources of melatonin include grapes and walnuts.

Bananas

Bananas are among the foods that help you sleep. They are a good source of potassium and magnesium, both of which are natural muscle relaxants. They also contain tryptophan, which is converted in the brain to the sleep hormone melatonin.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate that doesn’t cause the sugar spikes seen with other carbohydrates. It is a filling food that is easily digestible, allowing your body to rest easy at night. It is also a great source of calcium, potassium and magnesium, nutrients that promote relaxation of the body.

Cheese & Crackers

The carbohydrates in crackers help you fall asleep faster. After consuming carbohydrates, the body is triggered to produce insulin. Along with insulin, the sleep-promoting brain chemicals serotonin and tryptophan are released. The protein in the cheese is also an excellent source of tryptophan.

Toast with Peanut Butter

Toast provides the same carbohydrate benefit of crackers to help you sleep, plus peanut butter is rich in tryptophan. With this combination, you will get the benefit of tryptophan and the benefit of the carbohydrates, which helps tryptophan reach the brain easier.

Cereal & Milk

This is a great bedtime snack combination. Milk is a source of sleep-promoting tryptophan. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the carbohydrates in the cereal make tryptophan more available to the brain. Also, as previously mentioned, after eating carbohydrates the sleep-promoting brain chemicals serotonin and tryptophan are triggered along with insulin.

Pineapple

Researchers have found that certain foods can boost our natural levels of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. After eating pineapples, the levels of a melatonin marker were increased by 266 percent. Bananas also contributed to a rise of 180 percent and those who ate oranges had a rise of 47 percent.

Popcorn

The popcorn works in a manner similar to cheese and crackers. If sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese, this snack can give your body a boost of tryptophan and the carbohydrates it needs to help the brain absorb it more readily.

Can Your Circadian Rhythm Determine the Best Time to Work Out?

Feb 10 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Just being committed to a work out regime is satisfying. However, many still question whether circadian rhythms can influence results when deciding the best time to work out.

Whether working out to increase strength and endurance, or to improve our overall quality of health, many of us want to get the most out of our efforts and question when the best time to work out might be. This topic has been heavily researched with controversial results. The truth is, the answer varies depending on the specific question asked, your training goals and work out adherence.

Your Circadian Rhythm

All of the processes that occur within our body are regulated by precise cycles, also known as our internal clocks. Processes such as our heart rate, hormone secretion, body temperature, sleep cycle and energy levels all fluctuate in specific 24-hour rhythms.

All of these various internal clocks are based on signals from our environment. The internal clock that controls the circadian rhythm allows for this rhythmic cycle to be set and reset based on external stimuli such as light and darkness, food intake etc. These clocks send signals to all of our cells, which directs them on how and when to conduct certain physiological processes within our bodies.

Core Body Temperature and Power Output

Believing that the best time to work out may be affected by our body temperatures, researchers conducted a study that determined our core body temperature is lower in the morning and higher in the evening. The performance of study participants while working out was studied both in the morning and evening. Some would expect to see signs of fatigue in the participants during the evening work out, but the results were the opposite. The performance of all study participants was actually higher in the evening hours. Based on this study, it is also believed that strength output can be improved by up to five percent during these hours.

Hormones and an Anabolic State

The fluctuation of testosterone and cortisol levels within our body are one of the most important factors influenced by our circadian rhythm, giving us an indication as to when our body is in an anabolic state (building up muscle). It has been reported that testosterone production is low during the day and higher at night. The secretion of cortisol, which is a stress hormone that can put the body in a catabolic state (breaking muscle down), rises rapidly upon waking and decreases throughout the day, with levels low at night.

Using this information produces a ratio of testosterone to cortisol that indicates which state our body is in. With this ratio being highest in the afternoon and evening, it can be assumed that the body is in a state that is conducive to building muscle, therefore, this may be the best time to work out. However, more research is needed to determine if, and just how, this hormonal fluctuation is related to muscle growth.

The Best Time to Work Out

From the information gathered about the circadian rhythm of our core body temperatures and hormonal fluctuations, the best time to work out seems to be between 2:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. This time frame is considered valid only for those that are awake when its light and sleep when its dark outside.

Some of the most recent research findings suggest you may also want to consider the following factors when working out:

Late afternoon is the optimal time for exercise as our core body temperatures are highest.
It is reported that power output is five percent higher near mid-day and anaerobic exercise, such as running, improves by five percent during the late afternoon hours.
Our endurance to exercise is reportedly four percent higher in the afternoon.
We are less likely to suffer injuries in the afternoon, as our core body temperature is higher and our muscles are soft, flexible, and at the greatest strength.
Although it may appear that afternoon exercise is the most optimal, research has shown that those who exercise in the morning are more likely to stick to their exercise regime than those that work out in the later hours.

Currently, there is no particular study that offers conclusive evidence that working out in the afternoon or early evening is best. What we have learned from these studies is that we may be afforded certain advantages during specific times of the day depending upon our goals, type of exercise and schedule.

Those of you who work out in the morning shouldn’t be discouraged. If morning hours are best for you, then stick to your current regimen. One of the external stimuli that the circadian rhythm responds to is exercise. It has been found that regular, scheduled exercise has the ability to reset the rhythmic cycles by causing a significant shift in the gene expression of the internal clocks. This alters the molecular processes within peripheral tissues, including muscles. Therefore, your circadian rhythm will learn to adapt accordingly to your regular morning work outs.

Melatonin: The Master Circadian Rhythm Regulator

Feb 03 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Melatonin plays an important role in regulating the circadian rhythm. In addition, this hormone is showing promise as a treatment for a variety of health problems.

Many people have heard of melatonin. It has become a popular supplement in recent years because of its important role in regulating the circadian rhythm. When people suffer from a melatonin deficiency, they may also suffer from insomnia and even more serious disorders such as cancer.

What Is Melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland of the brain. All mammals make melatonin and use it in similar ways. When our retinas sense low levels of light, they send messages to the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus, another brain structure. The hypothalamus then tells the pineal gland to make melatonin, which then acts on almost every cell in your body.

Melatonin is best known for governing our sleep-wake cycles, but it has a variety of other roles. Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant, prevent aging in our cells. It may also play other roles in aging. In addition, melatonin may be important in the regulation of female hormones and a variety of other biochemicals.

The Master Clock of Your Sleep-Wake Cycle

While melatonin plays a variety of roles, it is most important in regulating the circadian rhythm, including sleep-wake cycles. Melatonin is secreted when our brains sense that it is night, and then released continuously as we sleep. Peak levels occur at around 3 or 4 a.m. After this, levels falls sharply and the brain begins to make other hormones that are associated with waking.

Melatonin helps us to fall asleep and stay asleep long enough to get adequate rest. In addition, the presence of melatonin lets your body know that you are asleep so it can perform important repair processes. Because melatonin is an antioxidant, it even participates in important cell repair. These repair processes not only make us feel more rested, but also play an important role in slowing aging and even protecting against cancer.

Melatonin and Illness

Besides regulating the circadian rhythm, melatonin has been found to be helpful in a variety of illnesses. First, it has been used successfully to treat disorders of the circadian rhythm such as jet lag, insomnia and disorders associated with shift work. It has also been found to assist healthy sleeping behavior in mental health and developmental disorders where insomnia is a major feature, such as autism and schizophrenia. It has even shown promise in the treatment of some cancers.

Resetting Your Circadian Rhythm

Because melatonin is the master clock of the circadian rhythm, it is extremely effective in treating problems related to the sleep-wake cycle. People who suffer jet lag after traveling across time zones can use melatonin to naturally fall asleep at an earlier time without the side effects of other sleep medication. Shift workers and people who work odd hours can use melatonin to tell their body that it is time to sleep in the absence of the presence of bright light or other wakefulness cues.

Understanding the human circadian rhythm and the role of melatonin in regulating the circadian rhythm is allowing doctors and scientists to devise new and innovative treatments. New effects of melatonin are being studied, so it is likely that this hormone will become a more important medical treatment in the future.

Take Your Blood Pressure Medication Before Bed for Best Results

Jan 22 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

A new study finds blood pressure medication may be more effective and even prevent death due to cardiovascular disease when taken at night.

Treating hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a challenge for many health care workers. While there are many medications available, it can be difficult to find the right combinations and doses that will keep blood pressure under control with minimum side effects. A new study suggests that the time when people take their blood pressure medication may be an important factor in hypertension control.

What Causes Hypertension?

There are several causes of hypertension. As people age, many develop atherosclerosis, or hardening of their blood vessels. This keeps their vessels from stretching to accommodate changes in blood volume, which leads to higher pressure in the circulatory system. Second, many people also develop lipid deposits in their arteries as they age, which further constricts their blood vessels and raises pressure.

One last and highly-treatable factor in blood pressure is the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System, or RAAS. This system releases hormones that control the excretion of fluids and electrolytes. Retaining fluid and electrolytes as a result of abnormal activity in the RAAS is a major cause of hypertension. For this reason, this system is the target of the most commonly-used classes of blood pressure medication, including ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).

The Timing of Blood Pressure

The RAAS is tightly-timed and runs on a circadian rhythm, which means that hypertension also has a distinct 24-hour cycle. In a healthy person, blood pressure rises shortly before waking as the RAAS goes into high gear. It reaches a peak around noon and then slowly falls until bedtime. It reaches an all-time low when people finally fall into deep sleep.

However, in people with hypertension, especially hypertension that doesn’t respond to medication, blood pressure fails to fall at night. People with higher nighttime blood pressure, called non-dippers, are more likely to suffer heart attacks and strokes, especially late at night and in the early morning.

Can Timing Blood Pressure Medication Help?

In a recent chronobiology study, people with hypertension were followed for more than five years. Some took their blood pressure medication in the morning, which is typical, while others took it before bed.

The people who took their blood pressure medication at night had lower blood pressure. In addition, they had one-third the amount of heart attacks and strokes. This is not the only study suggesting that taking blood pressure medication at night has health benefits. Another recent study found that people who take their medication at night have a lower risk of developing diabetes, a common complication in hypertensive people.

Chronopharmacology and Health Care

Chronopharmacology, a sub-discipline of chronobiology, is one of the fastest growing fields in medicine. New studies are published almost every week suggesting that when we take medication can have a huge effect on treatment, side effects and even death rates. Circadian rhythms dictate almost every cell process, including how we use and metabolize medications.

One in three adults, or about 70 million Americans, suffer from hypertension. Of these people, only about half have their condition under control. These new studies on chronopharmacology and blood pressure medication offer hope that people may find better control of a difficult-to-treat disease and lead longer, healthier lives.

Need Sleep? Drink “Night Milk”

Jan 20 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Can’t seem to fall asleep? New research suggests that a glass of “night milk” may be as effective as common sedatives in promoting sleep.

Next time you have trouble falling or staying asleep, reach for a glass of night milk instead of into your medicine cabinet. To clarify, this beverage isn’t called night milk because you drink it before bedtime; it’s actually cow’s milk that is harvested from the cow in the evening hours. If you’re like the majority of people learning about this new concept, you’re probably wondering why the time the cow is milked makes a difference.

Thanks to a study performed by a Korean research team we have the answers.

The Science Behind Night Milk

Recently, a new animal study that was published in the Journal of Medicinal Food determined that before bed, a mother’s milk takes on an enhanced chemical structure with elevated levels of tryptophan and melatonin.

Authors of the study from Sahmyook University in Seoul, South Korea concluded from this finding that night milk may be a promising natural remedy for anxiety and sleep disturbances.

Can Night Milk Improve Sleep and Reduce Anxiety?

To test this theory, milk from cows was collected at various times during the day and night. The milk was then put into powder form and fed to groups of mice.

Evaluation of the milk’s effect on both groups revealed that the mice fed night milk were notably less active than the mice that received milk from cows who were milked during the day.

Surprisingly, the mice who were less active were more apt to explore open spaces. Researchers interpreted their attempt to explore as being reflective of reduced anxiety, with effects comparable to the effects of diazepam, a common sedative used to treat anxiety.

The night milk was found to contain nearly 10 times more melatonin and 24 percent more tryptophan than daytime milk.

However, the effects have yet to be tested on people, though many people have been drinking milk or taking melatonin to successfully fall asleep for years.

New Theory, or Just First of Its Kind Research?

While this is new research, it is not a new concept. A German company patented “nocturnal milk” and produced a powder from milk that had been collected from cows between the hours of 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.

The effectiveness of nocturnal milk can be vouched for by happy consumers like Maike Schnittger, who was able to get through a troublesome period of anxiety by taking the powder that helped her fall asleep within half an hour. She also stated that she fell into a deep sleep and felt really awake the next morning.

Carl Bazil, director of the Epilepsy and Sleep Division of the neurology department at Columbia University, was a little skeptical about the night milk concept. However, he stated that the theory behind it is correct, as melatonin and tryptophan have proven sedative properties and milk is also known to help people fall asleep.

The Effects of Melatonin and Tryptophan on Sleep

Wondering just how the tryptophan- and melatonin-rich milk might work? Studies dating all the way back to the 1970s have suggested that taking between one and 15 grams of tryptophan at bedtime can help people fall asleep. Even smaller doses, as little as 250 milligrams, were found to provide people with increased sleep quality by lengthening the amount of time they spent in the deepest stage of sleep.

Normal sleep is produced by two main biomolecules: the hormone melatonin and the neurotransmitter serotonin. Both of these are made naturally in the body from tryptophan, making tryptophan a valuable supplement for those seeking a better quality of sleep.

Scientists reviewed 15 studies of sleep in healthy adults and noted that the administration of melatonin significantly reduced the amount of time needed to fall asleep, boosted the percentage of time that people were actually asleep while in bed and increased their total sleep duration. This is due to the active role melatonin has in the sleep-wake cycle.

So, does this research warrant replacing conventional sleep aids with a glass of night milk? For some, maybe, if they have access to night milk. Although this is excellent research and a great first step in providing a natural solution for two very common conditions, i.e. anxiety and sleep disturbances, we anticipate that a human study is most likely imminent.