Not eating for 12-16 hours can help people quickly reset their sleep-wake cycle, according to a study from the Harvard Medical School. This discovery can drastically improve a person’s ability to cope with jet lag or adjust to working late shifts.
Scientists have long known that our circadian rhythm is regulated by our exposure to light. Now they have found a second “food clock” that takes over when we are hungry. This mechanism probably evolved to make sure starving mammals don’t go to sleep when they should be foraging for food.
The lead researcher Clifford Saper explains:
The neat thing about this second clock is that it can override the main clock … and you should just flip into that new time zone in one day. It usually takes people a week to fully adjust to a new time zone or sleeping schedule. To think that this new “food clock” hack can help you change your internal clock in one day is mind boggling.
Full Article at WiseBread
Hmm… Off to Cuba tomorrow, what a timely post! Whether or not I can go for 12-16 hours without any grub, however, is a completely different story! lol!
I’ll need to master my stomach before I master this…
That’s brilliant. I travel a lot and sometimes manage to break through the jet lag barrier simply expecting myself to but it still takes a few days. This could be a real life enhancer! Thanks. XX
People on a diet quite often experience a higher level of energy. It’s the other self on top of your basic self. The fact that they need to focus in another way gives you a new elan in life sort of.
Not a new thing, people use it quite of on a daily bases, also when not on a diet or such. Needing to get up early in the morning when you’re not a morning person also asks for overruling your main clock all the time.
Also, if you are very sleepy but wait too long to go to sleep you will override the sleep-request as most of us may have experienced.
A period without food sort of cleans the body as well, and frees energy. To a certain limit ofcourse.
Differences between people, how they respond to a lack of daylight or food … of major importance ofcourse. Apart from the fact that we need to get rid of lots of things than influence us as well to get our real main clock back on the inside, otherwise it is not even our main clock that screws up when travelling to another time zone, but the life circumstances over a longer period before the trip that makes the body less flexible.
Right. Do you have any handy links about how to go 12+ hours without eating? lol xx
I’ve always had a pretty good trick for jet lag – don’t sleep. Don’t sleep while travelling and, when you get to your destination, don’t go to bed until the time you normally would. By that point, you’re so tired that you will fall asleep no matter what time your body thinks it is. I call it “resetting the system.”
Wow, this post was made just in time, I’ve really messed up my sleeping schedule and need to get it sorted pretty quick, so I’ll definitely give this a shot!
Perfect timing as I am recently back from states and finding it difficult to get back into a normal sleep pattern!
[...] This post was Twitted by marthasadie [...]
Thanks for the post, good info.
Lots of Licks,
True Aphrodite
I think “lots of licks” is way more appropriate for the candy topic than this one, just saying.
Carry on.
My Goodness!…and i thought i was the only one licking his face everynight
We are human and will eat all the time if necessary/possible so research into something that stops me eating or drinking tea and having biscuits after a really good idea (and I mean a really creative idea) would be appreciated. P.S. I am not a bat I like bats and have rescued a few stupid young ones that came in through my window recently but personally would like to run less miles if someone could expain why having great ideas equals excitement and grub. Much love Iain XX
I work nights & have discovered you just shouldn’t eat on a night shift. I guess your metabolism grinds to a halt at night & results in SERIOUS trapped wind, bloating & pain. I go 14 hrs with no food, carbs for brekkie & I sleep fabulously on the turn around
If this works, I will be amazed. Been trying to adjust my sleep pattern to what most would consider a ‘normal’ one for 29 years (well the first few years were my parents trying to adjust it for me.). Nothing so far has worked.
Going to try this.
x
its supposed to be fact that our bodies dont really need food as long as the dehydration doesnt kick in it will be fine. so with the not eating do you still drink and if so im sooooo going to try this when going to canada xxxxx
This doesn’t work I have tried this, it just makes you hungry late night and you end up eating everything in site if you starve yourself. All those carbs don’t help you sleep, I’m curious to know if I could change my sleeing habits. As I’ve been going to school in the evening then I east n study and can’t fall asleep till 6 or 7 am. Lately its been worse on the weekends I end up sleeping only 2-3 hours it leaves me with a huge headache and I don’t ever want to nap during the day but it happens. Anyone have experience with something that works to drastically change sleeping habits? Like if I wanna sleep at 1 am from now on instead of 6 am is that even something I can change in a week or so.