The ultimate reason why being a night owl is bad for your health
Some claim that they're more productive if they study or work at night or that their brain is simply more awake or active at night. While it's unavoidable to burn the midnight oil occasionally, being a long-time night owl -or being perennially sleep-deprived--can mess with your overall health.
Dr. Oyie Balburias reveals why being a night owl is bad for your health | Source: Sekaya/Buensalido PR
In a panel discussion during the online press con for the launch of Sekaya Raw Actives, internal medicine doctor and certified functional medicine practitioner Dr. Oyie Balburias listed the reasons why staying up late or being a day sleeper has an adverse effect on your health.
According to Dr. Balburias the human body is designed to function in accordance with nature's clock.
“The biological design of our body is hardwired to our environment, so we have what we call a master clock in our brain. We call it the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is in the hippocampus.
“So it is the one that tells our body that it is daytime or nighttime. And this is connected to how we are able to process our food.
“That's why we tell people not to eat late at night because you know, this biological clock is connected to the peripheral clock of the different organs of our body.
“Our stomach stops functioning, stops digesting after nine o'clock (in the evening).
“That's why there should be a certain time you should be asleep. We're supposed to be asleep by 11 p.m. and be awake by 6 a.m.
“By two o'clock in the morning, all the systems of our bodies are in a regenerative mode, except for the liver and the skin.
“So if you're sleeping late and you're eating late, some of the food that you are eating will not be metabolized. Hence, you sleep a little late, you gain a little weight.”
Furthermore, aside from gaining weight, not sleeping or eating on time has a direct effect on your immune system.
“We're really supposed to be asleep at night and awake at daytime. We have what you call a chrono-nutrition.”
“If you're altering this because of the kind of lifestyle that you have, your body will not be able to produce several substrates that your different systems need, like for example, the different cells that are needed by your immune system to fight off invaders or microorganisms.
“That's why you see when you're sleep-deprived for several days -if you sleep let's say three hours or four hours consecutively for several days-- then what happens afterwards? Your immune system weakens.”
Therefore, Dr. Balburias recommends that if you want to be fully healthy, you need to look at the three determinants of positive health: sleep, food, and exercise.
“It's not just about exercise, it's not just about nutrition. It's also important for us to consider the value of sleep. Everything is equally important.”
This means that even if you eat healthy and workout consistently, if you're not getting enough sleep -or not sleeping at the ideal time -you can still be susceptible to illness.
So, if you can do so now, it's best to trade your night owl lifestyle for a healthy morning person routine.
You may not immediately feel the difference it makes in your body, but eventually you'll be reaping the long-term benefits of it.
For more lifestyle content, head out to GMA's Lifestyle page.
You might also want to check out tips on how to beat insomnia.