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Posted November 29, 2013 03:38 · last edited November 29, 2013 03:39

Tegal wrote:

I wonder how?

I've always just seen it as sleeping at a different time to most other people. I suppose you get slightly less sleep overall because of those times you occasionally have to get up at a 'normal' time after very little sleep.

It's much more simple than that, we are not designed to be awake and active at night. Nightshift basically messes with the bodies natural Circadian rhythm - this cannot change no matter how long you work one shift the circadian rhythm is hardwired into us. that's being non-active between the hours of darkness.

This makes things like, sleep, digestion, stress, tissue repair, hormone production, body immune system, less able to function. Coupled with that you get weight gain, as it's now known that healthy weight is sleep dependent. A lot of people suffer from the 04:00 - 05:00 "bloat" as again we are not designed to be eating food at this time and it cause havoc with digestion.

I've worked with people that mentally couldn't deal with nights and would just go to pieces. Tears the works so there is a psychological element.

I'm not saying that everyone should go to bed at 10:00 and rise at 06:00, there is some evidence that years ago we would have a little sleep for a few hours, wake, for an hour or so, then go back to sleep and that was considered normal up to Victorian times. But we would still sleep/be largely inactive at night. I wonder if this was due to poor lighting technology at the time?

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ForteanTimes edited November 29, 2013 03:39

Tegal wrote:

I wonder how?

It's much more simple than that, we are not designed to be awake and active at night. Nightshift basically messes with the bodies natural Circadian rhythm - this cannot change no matter how long you work one shift the circadian rhythm is hardwired into us. that's being non-active between the hours of darkness.

This makes things like, sleep, digestion, stress, tissue repair, hormone production, body immune system, less able to function. Coupled with that you get weight gain, as it's now known that healthy weight is sleep dependent. A lot of people suffer from the 04:00 - 05:00 "bloat" as again we are not designed to be eating food at this time and it cause havoc with digestion.

I've worked with people that mentally couldn't deal with nights and would just go to pieces. Tears the works so there is a pychological element.

I'm not saying that everyone should go to bed at 10:00 and rise at 06:00, there is some evidence that years ago we would have a little sleep for a few hours, wake, for an hour or so, then go back to sleep and that was considered normal up to Victorian times. But we would still sleep/be largely inactive at night. I wonder if this was due to poor lighting technology at the time?

ForteanTimes edited November 29, 2013 03:39

Tegal wrote:

I wonder how?

It's much more simple than that, we are not designed to be awake and active at night. Nightshift basically messes with the bodies natural Circadian rhythm - this cannot change no matter how long you work one shift the circadian rhythm is hardwired into us. that's being non-active between the hours of darkness.

This makes things like, sleep, digestion, stress, tissue repair, hormone production, body immune system, less able to function. Coupled with that you get weight gain, as it's now known that healthy weight is sleep dependent. A lot of people suffer from the 04:00 - 05:00 "bloat" as again we are not designed to be eating food at this time and it cause havoc with digestion.

I've worked with people that mentally couldn't deal with night and would just go to pieces. Tears the works so there is a pyschological element.

I'm not saying that everyone should go to bed at 10:00 and rise at 06:00, there is some evidence that years ago we would have a little sleep for a few hours, wake, for an hour or so, then go back to sleep and that was considered normal up to Victorian times. But we would still sleep/be largely inactive at night. I wonder if this was due to poor lighting technology at the time?