Ignoring the Body Clock – Harmful for Health and Weight

Working late at night, irregular eating times and hardly enough sleep – these are the basic features of the term “social jetlag”, which was invented by Professor Till Roenneberg from the University of Munich. For this kind of jetlag, it is not necessary to travel in different time zones. If the work schedule prevails over, and thus upsets the body clock, we experience the effects of the disruption to the sleep-awake-rhythm in our daily environment as well. That does not only influence private life, but also health and weight management, as new studies from the Universities of Munich and Aberdeen prove.

Study Munich: “Social jetlag” can cause obesity

After analysing almost 65,000 questionnaires, which were completed online over a time period of ten years, researchers from the University of Munich came to the conclusion that living against the body clock can cause a variety of metabolic disorders. The epidemiological study illustrates that about two thirds of the western society suffer from chronic lack of sleep, one third of which even stated a “jetlag” of at least two hours a day. According to the researchers, it is a serious concern that such disruptions to the sleep-awake-rhythm have increased in recent years. People stay awake longer and longer; the average duration of sleeping on work days decreases steadily. This considerably harms people’s health, as the body’s natural needs are ignored. Irregularities in daily rhythm and lack of sleep lead to a disrupted feeling of appetite. Therefore, people tend to eat too much and too unhealthily, which can cause overweight.

Study Aberdeen: Living against the body clock harms health

A British study of the University of Aberdeen, conducted under the supervision of Dr. Cathy Wyse, supports the conclusions of the Munich study. A group of chronobiologists examined if and how irregular eating, sleeping and working habits in the western world influence the human biological clock, and which effects this has on health and weight regulation. Dr Wyse points out that “over the last century, daily rhythms in meal, sleep and working times have gradually disappeared from our lives.” This not only leads to metabolic disorders and other health problems, but is also a serious cause for overweight and obesity. Researchers underline that the synchronisation of body clock and daily rhythm is important for health. But shift work, artificial light and the omnipresent 24/7 lifestyle of the 21st century seldom allow for healthy coordination. Dr. Wyse believes that the “social jetlag”, as the University of Munich refers to it, causes a disruption of the brain function which regulates metabolism. This leads to the emergence of overweight, obesity and diabetes.

Regularities in daily rhythm for better health
For a long time, it has been a well-known fact in medicine that sufficient sleep and regular meals support health. Now, the two studies from Munich and Aberdeen prove, on the one hand, how widespread „social jetlag“ is in today’s society, and on the other hand, the serious consequences it has on health. To support a healthy daily rhythm according to the body clock, it is helpful to eat regularly, and sleep long and undisrupted at night in complete darkness. In order to prevent overweight and support healthy weight management, the usage of a digital tool provides further help. The CaloriScan from Omron Healthcare, for example, measures daily calorie consumption 24/7. Thanks to its 3-D sensor technology, the handy device differentiates every kind of movement – whether at the desk, while shopping or during physical exercise – and reliably provides the resulting calorie consumption. Users can then adjust their daily diet with the personal weight management.

Please find further information and new articles all about an active and healthy lifestyle every week at www.mycaloriscan.com.

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About Omron Healthcare
Committed to improving people’s lives, OMRON Healthcare provides clinically proven, innovative medical equipment for health monitoring and therapy. Our product portfolio includes blood pressure monitors, respiratory therapy devices, electronic fever thermometers and activity monitors as well as body composition monitors and professional medical devices. OMRON Healthcare Group is headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. OMRON Healthcare Europe B.V. is the healthcare division for Europe, Russia, Middle East and Africa, and provides service to customers in more than 60 countries through a powerful distribution network.

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