Article: Circadian Desynchrony And Obesity
- Thread starter The Press
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eluruguayo
New member
I have found it easier to stay lean and healthy working third-shift (I sleep from 8am to 3pm). Disclaimer: That is the time of day when I naturally sleep if I have zero caffeine, etc. (since the age of seven!), so your mileage may vary.
The biggest difference I've found is that, when it's dark outside, I simply don't get the same degree of hunger that I get when it's daylight outside.
My maintenance level is about 2,600 calories. If I have to get up early and be awake during all the daylight hours -- even on the same amount of sleep -- I find it almost impossible to consume less than 2,500 calories before the sun has even gone down, with, of course, more to follow. It's like a nonstop carnival of hunger as long as the sun is out, and by the time the day is over I've usually shoveled in 3,500+ calories even if I am slamming the vegetables all day long.
By contrast, if I am on my usual daily schedule (wake at 3pm, sleep at 8am), I can eat 700 to 900 calories at breakfast, eat almost nothing again until 2-3 hours before going to sleep (unless I work out), and stay at about 2,000 calories for the whole day, without the slightest hint of hunger.
If I were forced back onto a "normal" day, I have no doubt that I would balloon back up to my previous weight, about 30 kgs heavier than my current weight, within a few months.
jalfrey:
Really?
Food makes me sleepy, not alert. If I am sleep-deprived, I have to eat less, or else I'll crash.
The biggest difference I've found is that, when it's dark outside, I simply don't get the same degree of hunger that I get when it's daylight outside.
My maintenance level is about 2,600 calories. If I have to get up early and be awake during all the daylight hours -- even on the same amount of sleep -- I find it almost impossible to consume less than 2,500 calories before the sun has even gone down, with, of course, more to follow. It's like a nonstop carnival of hunger as long as the sun is out, and by the time the day is over I've usually shoveled in 3,500+ calories even if I am slamming the vegetables all day long.
By contrast, if I am on my usual daily schedule (wake at 3pm, sleep at 8am), I can eat 700 to 900 calories at breakfast, eat almost nothing again until 2-3 hours before going to sleep (unless I work out), and stay at about 2,000 calories for the whole day, without the slightest hint of hunger.
If I were forced back onto a "normal" day, I have no doubt that I would balloon back up to my previous weight, about 30 kgs heavier than my current weight, within a few months.
jalfrey:
Really?
Food makes me sleepy, not alert. If I am sleep-deprived, I have to eat less, or else I'll crash.