Learn To Love The Sunrise: Else, You Might Be at an Increased Risk of Diabetes

Rise Up With the Morning Sun to Avoid Diabetes Risk

​The world is not getting any better on the diabetes front as more and more people are succumbing to  consuming processed foods, following an unhealthy lifestyle, refraining from exercising regularly, and not sleeping well. We have much awareness regarding the importance of a healthy diet and its role in controlling diabetes risk and there are a greater number of individuals who have started including physical activity as a part of their everyday schedule. What remains undermined is the need for sufficient sleep and its impact on diabetes.
 
Are We Heaping Over Insufficient Daily Sleep Levels?
 
Sleep has been our utmost priority during early years of growth with teenagers and young adults trying to squeeze in as many sleeping hours as possible during weekends and holidays. But, the advent of the social media and Internet has stirred up utmost distress among all including kids and adults. Most of us spend most of our time hooked up to smartphones or iPads losing out on hours of overnight sleep.
 
The concept of night owls and early birds has become very popular during recent times with night owls including people who prefer to stay active during the latter part of the day up to late into the night. Early birds are those individuals who wake up early in the morning. Whatever category you belong to, it’s been observed that most individuals lack enough sleeping hours accumulating them and compensating for such hours during weekends. But, our body needs sufficient rest to think clearly and perform our tasks with excellence and preciseness.
 
Such lack of sleep not only affects our quality of life but when we sleep is integral to determining the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
 
An Early Bird Not Only Catches its Prey But…
 
There’s the popular saying “The Early Bird Catches Its Prey.” But, in our case, early risers benefit even better. They not only get to see the sunrise and wake up to breathing fresh air but are also better guarded from diabetes risk. That’s primarily because early birds are more dependent on fat as their primary source of energy for performing various activities and stay more active through the day with better aerobic fitness levels. Whereas, night owls utilize less fat for energy while resting or exercising.
 
That’s the effective conclusion of a recent study done by researchers at the University of Rutgers who also found yet another useful information—early birds are more insulin sensitive than night owls who are, in fact, insulin resistant. Hence, night owls require greater insulin levels to lower blood glucose levels and their body chose carbohydrates instead of fats as their energy source. Such  a response by the night owls is harmful for their body as it increases their risk of diabetes to a greater extent.
 
One explanation given for this includes how the body’s circadian rhythm could have a solid impact on the body’s efficiency rate in utilizing insulin. For example, a night owl might sleep late but their responsibilities might force them to get up early thereby ruining their circadian rhythm out of proportion to a great extent. The result clearly shows that deviating from the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle magnifies health risks multi-fold times.
 
The Bottomline
The best possible solution for night owls to avoid increasing their risk of diabetes includes going to bed earlier than their usual timing. It is also recommended that individuals must avoid performing strenuous physical activity during late evenings to prepare their body for some peaceful sleep during the night. Some others don’t include staying away from carb- and fat-rich foods and avoiding using smartphones before going to bed. The light from the electronic gadgets can affect sleep quality as well as keep you from sleeping.
 
It’s impossible to do this all at once but incorporate small changes every day to bring bigger positive results. Try going to bed 10-15 minutes earlier than usual and getting up 15 minutes earlier than your regular timing. Start loving the sunrise, make small tweaks to enhance energy and mood levels, and above all, stay well-rested—this helps you spring out of bed with better energy than you could imagine.