Understanding the link between late night shifts and body weight – The Indian Express

With many professions demanding a 24×7 work pattern, not only does the sleep schedule get disrupted but it also affects eating habits and timing, and often leads to unhealthy midnight snacking that can adversely affect health.
“Yes, night shifts can disturb the body’s natural circadian rhythm, affecting the quality of sleep. It also poses an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, obesity, gastrointestinal diseases (acidity, diarrhoea, constipation), sleeping problems, and diabetes. Late-night work and lack of proper sleep can further affect mental health causing depression, anxiety, anger, frustration, and irritability,” Garima Goyal, a nutritionist, told indianexpress.com.
Echoing the same, Anjali Mukerjee, an Ayurveda expert, had earlier taken to Instagram to share that working late at night can disrupt the “24-hour internal clock that controls our sleep-wake cycles” and can also lead to an imbalance in hormone production.
 
 
A post shared by Anjali Mukerjee (@anjalimukerjee) 
The experts further informed that the body’s ability to process glucose and sugar is impaired at night, which increases the risk of developing diabetes and heart diseases. To help keep such ailments at bay, Anjali Mukherjee listed some tips to maintain good health and nutrition while working late at night.
*Since the body’s metabolism and digestion are slow at night, eat light before sleeping; in the morning, have a balanced meal comprising carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
* Eat every 4 hours to keep your weight in check (eat nothing in between) and try to eat smaller meals so that you are more alert.
* Keep healthy snacks like fruits, nuts, roasted chana, khakhras handy to munch on during your breaks instead of fried food.
*Instead of caffeinated and sugary beverages, have water for hydration as caffeine may disrupt the sleep cycle.
* Include a generous portion of vegetables in the form of salads and fruits, whole grains in the form of jowar chapatis and brown rice, wheat bread, and protein-packed food like paneer, soy nuggets, and green leafy vegetables.
* Stay away from fat-laden and fibre-deficient foods like pizzas, burgers, pav bhaji, white bread, idlis, dosas, sweets, etc.
*According to Ayurveda, waking up at night increases dryness in the body. Therefore, have a teaspoon of ghee when you leave for work, it will balance any dryness in the body.
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