The average person typically goes to sleep at night and wakes up in the morning ready for a day of work.
However, there are those who sleep during the day and work at night. Cops, firefighters, security guards, and a host of shift workers spend much of their lives sleeping through the day and working the dark hours between sunset and sunrise.
Knowing how much your body relies on sunlight for healthy sleep patterns, you might be wondering if it’s better to sleep at night or day. Below, we’ll take a look at the science behind sleeping during the day to help you understand why nighttime sleep is healthier.
Science Says You Should Sleep At Night
A lot of research has been done into whether sleeping during the day or night is better, and the evidence is pretty conclusive!
The most important thing, of course, is that you get a good night’s sleep. That means (Link to Sleep Quality Blog Post here):
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Sleeping more than 6 ½ hours
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Waking up no more than once per night
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Falling asleep within 30 minutes
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Spending less than 20 minutes awake throughout the night
Getting enough good quality sleep is what will improve your health. However, the time of day or night you sleep also matters, too.
One study found that sleeping during the day affects nearly 130 different proteins in your body. Blood tests reveal that protein imbalances begin to show up after just a couple of days of shifted sleep patterns. For example, the protein glucagon was significantly higher at night than it was typically during the day, meaning the people staying awake all night long ended up with higher blood sugar levels thanks to the effects of glucagon. Subjects also burned 10% fewer calories because their levels of fibroblast growth factor 19, which plays a role in energy generation and expenditure, decreased.
For those who tend to stay up late pulling an all-nighter and try to catch up on sleep later, there are also very real and noticeable health consequences. A study found that staying up all night can trigger biochemical changes in your blood that can have serious long-term repercussions, including a higher risk of weight gain, cancer, and diabetes. This is due not only to altered sleep patterns, but altered eating patterns disrupted by the erratic sleep schedule.
A study conducted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Sleep Medicine confirmed bad sleeping habits and erratic sleep patterns can have very real consequences. Any sleep patterns that disagree with our circadian rhythms and internal sleep clock could elevate our risk of obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. Shift workers prone to insufficient sleep and irregular sleep schedules were at the highest risk.
Even our genes may be negatively impacted, as another study discovered. The body clock basically serves to “reset” the genes after a day of work, eating, and activity. However, those who have disrupted sleep schedule experience a drastically reduced resetting of the genes—less than 1% of the genes, compared to an average of 6.4% in someone who follows a healthy sleep schedule and sleeps through the night.
There you have it! Science proves that there are some very real downsides to sleeping during the day and being awake at night. Over the long term, it can trigger some pretty severe health consequences.
If you have the choice, it’s always best to sleep at night and work during the day. However, you may be thinking, “What if I don’t have a choice and I have to work at night?” If you’re a security guard, police officer, firefighter, or in any other career that involves working during the night and sleeping during the day, here are a couple of things you can do to sleep better:
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Follow the same schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This can help train your body to relax, rest properly, and sleep deeply even if you’re sleeping during the daytime.
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Darken your room. Buy blackout curtains for all of your windows, and light-proof your room so it’s pitch black when you go to sleep. Limit your exposure to blue light from your electronic devices while in the fully-dark room, but use soft, gentle lighting to simulate an evening mood. You’ll have a much easier time falling asleep and sleeping deeply in this fully dark environment.
At the end of the day, it’s important that you consider the long-term repercussions of your sleep schedule and take steps to ensure the best quality sleep during the day.
Guarantee Better Sleep at Night With a Simple Supplement!
If you’re trying to get back on a good sleep schedule or struggling to sleep at night or during the day, Sleep Slim Tea may be the solution you need!
This tea is made with all organic and natural ingredients, combining herbal remedies that are guaranteed to improve your sleep quality. Chamomile will help to relax your mind and body, while the magnesium puts you in a relaxed state that will make it easier for you to stay asleep all night (or day) long. Ginger root can help to combat insomnia, glycine will encourage the production of critical neurochemicals, and calcium will improve your sleep patterns and prevent sleep disruptions.
Sleep Slim Tea is an herbal remedy formulated specifically to help those who struggle to sleep at night or during the day. It’s the perfect solution to help you unwind after a long day or night of work, and get you ready for the good quality sleep your body needs. Try Sleep Slim Tea and see just how much better you sleep because of it!
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