Advertisement
Topics
Hot stuff
Newsletters
Promotions
Party central
From party frocks to invites and Christmas cocktails, we've got everything you need to throw a fabulous party
From party frocks to invites and Christmas cocktails, we've got everything you need to throw a fabulous party
Tips for living well: taking time out
continued from page 3
While the effects on your mind might be more immediately evident, over time lack of sleep will start to take its toll on your body. Your appetite will increase to compensate for your body's growing need for energy - which obviously could lead to weight gain. On top of that, scientists in the US have shown that people who often get less than six hours' sleep a night seem to have much more sluggish metabolisms. Compared to eight-hours-a-night types, the short-sleepers' bodies are only about 60 per cent as efficient at using their hormone insulin to break down glucose (sugars) in the blood into energy. They also need to use a whopping 50 per cent more insulin to carry out that vital metabolic process in the first place. In fact, that's not far off what goes on in your body if you're in the early stages of diabetes.
Metabolic go-slow
One possible explanation for this worrying metabolic go-slow can be found in your brain's timekeeping system. Remember the pineal and adrenal glands and the see-saw relationship between their products, the sleep hormone melatonin and the alertness hormone cortisol? If you're regularly not getting enough sleep, your cortisol levels will be raised. In fact, even one night of sleep loss is enough to hike your cortisol levels up by a staggering 45 per cent the following day. To cut a long biological story short, cortisol evolved as part of our ancient and instinctive 'fight or flight' response. In other words, it's part of your body's very own emergency alertness response. As well as being your early morning chemical wake-up call, it also comes out to play whenever you encounter the daily stresses of life, whether that's gridlock at rush hour, an almighty row with your partner or problems at work.
If one of our stone-age ancestors had unexpectedly come up against an angry big beast, it would have made good biological sense for his body to prioritize the processes going on inside him as quickly as it could. He would clearly have needed the alertness, energy and muscular blood supply to run for the hills or fight the predator off, but other bodily functions, such as getting on with the tough job of digesting last night's wildebeest leg, would suddenly have become somewhat less important. So cortisol, combined with the better-known chemical adrenaline, helped our ancestors get out of sticky situations, partly by giving them the energy to fight or escape, but also by temporarily switching off functions like the metabolism, the immune system, growth and reproduction so that their bodies could get on with surviving in their 'eat or be eaten' world.
While the effects on your mind might be more immediately evident, over time lack of sleep will start to take its toll on your body. Your appetite will increase to compensate for your body's growing need for energy - which obviously could lead to weight gain. On top of that, scientists in the US have shown that people who often get less than six hours' sleep a night seem to have much more sluggish metabolisms. Compared to eight-hours-a-night types, the short-sleepers' bodies are only about 60 per cent as efficient at using their hormone insulin to break down glucose (sugars) in the blood into energy. They also need to use a whopping 50 per cent more insulin to carry out that vital metabolic process in the first place. In fact, that's not far off what goes on in your body if you're in the early stages of diabetes.
Metabolic go-slow
One possible explanation for this worrying metabolic go-slow can be found in your brain's timekeeping system. Remember the pineal and adrenal glands and the see-saw relationship between their products, the sleep hormone melatonin and the alertness hormone cortisol? If you're regularly not getting enough sleep, your cortisol levels will be raised. In fact, even one night of sleep loss is enough to hike your cortisol levels up by a staggering 45 per cent the following day. To cut a long biological story short, cortisol evolved as part of our ancient and instinctive 'fight or flight' response. In other words, it's part of your body's very own emergency alertness response. As well as being your early morning chemical wake-up call, it also comes out to play whenever you encounter the daily stresses of life, whether that's gridlock at rush hour, an almighty row with your partner or problems at work.
If one of our stone-age ancestors had unexpectedly come up against an angry big beast, it would have made good biological sense for his body to prioritize the processes going on inside him as quickly as it could. He would clearly have needed the alertness, energy and muscular blood supply to run for the hills or fight the predator off, but other bodily functions, such as getting on with the tough job of digesting last night's wildebeest leg, would suddenly have become somewhat less important. So cortisol, combined with the better-known chemical adrenaline, helped our ancestors get out of sticky situations, partly by giving them the energy to fight or escape, but also by temporarily switching off functions like the metabolism, the immune system, growth and reproduction so that their bodies could get on with surviving in their 'eat or be eaten' world.
previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | next
printer friendly
send to a friend
This iVillage Health service area is designed for educational
purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a
substitute for personal medical attention, diagnosis or
hands-on treatment. If you are concerned about your health or
that of a child, please consult your family's health provider
immediately and do not wait for a response from our
professionals. For the full Disclaimer,
click here.
RATE IT
Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUponYou need the newest version of Macromedia Flash Player to view this feature. Download the Flash plug-in at http://www.macromedia.com.
Pregnancy & Baby |
Parenting |
Health |
Diet & Fitness |
Beauty & Fashion|
Relationships |
Home & Garden |
Food & Drink |
Work & Career |
Entertainment 
Horoscopes| Message Boards | Quizzes | Newsletters | Join
© iVillage Limited 2000-2008. All rights reserved. | © iVillage inc. 1995-2008. All rights reserved.
iVillage Ltd is a UK company registered in England & Wales (3837269) at 80-110 New Oxford Street, London WC1 1HB
iVillage Ltd is a UK company registered in England & Wales (3837269) at 80-110 New Oxford Street, London WC1 1HB
