Going to bed late on weekends and waking up early on workdays may affect health

Irregular sleep patterns like late sleeping on weekends waking early on workdays could be associated with harmful bacteria in your gut and negatively affect your health suggests a researchThe study published in The European Journal of Nutrition is the first to find multiple associations between social jet lag the shift in your internal body clock when your sleeping patterns change between workdays and free days and diet quality diet habits inflammation and gut microbiome composition in a single cohortPrevious research has shown that working shifts disrupts the body clock and can increase risk of weight gain heart problems and diabetesHowever there is less awareness that our biological rhythms can be affected by smaller inconsistencies in sleeping patterns due to waking early with an alarm clock on workdays for example compared to waking naturally on nonwork days for people working regular hoursResearchers found that just a 90minute difference in the timing of the midpoint of sleep the halfway point between sleep time and wakeup time is associated with differences in gut microbiome compositionHaving social jet lag was associated with lower overall diet quality higher intakes of sugarsweetened beverages and lower intakes of fruits and nuts which may directly influence the abundance of specific microbiota in your gutldquoSleep is a key pillar of health and this research is particularly timely given the growing interest in circadian rhythms and the gut microbiome Even a 90minute difference in the midpoint of sleep can encourage microbiota species which have unfavourable associations with your healthrdquo said Kate Bermingham from Kingrsquos College LondonldquoMaintaining regular sleep patterns so when we go to bed and when we wake each day is an easily adjustable lifestyle behaviour we can all do that may impact your health via your gut microbiome for the betterrdquo added Dr Sarah Berry from Kingrsquos College LondonThe composition of the microbes in your gut microbiome may negatively or positively affect your health by producing toxins or beneficial metabolites Specific species of microbes can correspond to an individualrsquos risk of longterm health conditions such as diabetes heart disease and obesityThe microbiome is influenced by the food you consume which makes the diversity of your gut adjustable In a cohort of 934 people researchers assessed blood stool and gut microbiome samples as well as glucose measurements in those whose sleep was irregular compared to those who had a routine sleep scheduleWhile previous studies into the association between social jet lag and metabolic risk factors have been done in populations with obesity or diabetes this cohort consisted of mainly lean and healthy individuals with most getting more than seven hours sleep per night throughout the weekThree out of the six microbiota species more abundant in the social jet lag group have lsquounfavourablersquo associations with healthThese microbes are associated with poor diet quality indicators of obesity and cardiometabolic health and markers in your blood related to higher levels of inflammation and cardiovascular riskAlso Read From mind to body Understanding the impact of stress on physical health and tips to manage itThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever