Tempting: Why Eating During Your Night Shift Isn't Good For You

Working at night is tough on your body: your rhythm is messed up and you are often very tired . But because your body is already so messed up, you have to be extra steadfast when it comes to temptations, according to American scientists.

NTR Science states that American researchers discovered what is so unhealthy about working at night. It turns out that it is not the disturbed rhythm, but the eating during a night shift turns out to be very unhealthy for the body.

Eating at random times, such as during your night shift, is worse for the body than was previously known. The study shows that it is better to eat during the day. During the study, two groups of people ate at different times. One group only ate during the day and stayed awake at night, and the other group did the same, but ate at night. Still, the group that only ate during the day was 'healthier' and the group that ate at night was more likely to develop heart problems in the future. Lack of sleep due to night work does not necessarily have to have a negative effect on your health.

According to chronologist Marijke Gordijn, night workers more often have heart and vascular complaints and therefore also a greater chance of such diseases. "The fact that these people eat at night has something to do with it. That causes high blood sugar levels." Yet according to NTR , we are increasingly asking more people to work at night, for example in healthcare and logistics.

The group that ate at night had a higher risk of heart problems than the group that ate during the day. According to the researchers, the reason why the daytime eaters stayed healthier is because of our internal clock. It tells your body when it is time to eat. That clock listens to daylight, not the fluorescent tube at work.

Metro previously wrote about the extent to which the time of day matters when you eat: because if you want to lose weight, that rhythm is quite important. For example, a nutritionist refers to various studies that show that you lose weight more easily if you eat with your biological clock in mind. And that also works the other way around. "If you eat a cookie at night, your body needs an average of 25 percent more insulin for it than during the day. This keeps your insulin level high for longer and fat is stored more easily."

But it is normal that you still feel like eating because you are awake for so long. That is why the Diakonessenziekenhuis, for example, gives tips on how to eat as well as possible during your night shift.

According to the hospital, a fixed mealtime rhythm reduces the chance of health problems. The Nutrition Center advises eating breakfast and dinner at normal times. So breakfast in the morning and a hot meal in the evening.

The hospital also advises not to eat too much during your night shifts. Your digestive system is on a low flame at night. Large amounts of (fatty) food can put too much strain on your stomach and intestines. The hospital also advises to avoid fatty foods, sweets and caffeine during your night shift. Drinking alcohol after your night shift is also not very healthy. Alcohol reduces the quality of sleep. The amount of REM sleep decreases, you sleep less deeply and wake up more often.

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