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The internal clock of your body, or your circadian rhythm, dictates a good part of your day. It tells you when you are hungry and you need to scoop food, when you are tired and you should hit the hay, and more. A new study also shows that this biological clock determines the time at which your body burns the most calories, even when you are at rest, doing nothing.
The researchers reporting in Current biology found that when we rest, we burn 10% more calories in the late afternoon and early evening than in the morning. So that means we do not have to worry about being lazy the next time we have a slump in the afternoon, right? Our bodies will take over for us.
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The results of this study reinforce the important role circadian rhythm plays in the regulation of metabolism. They also shed light on why those who have irregular sleep schedules because they work at night or other factors are more likely to gain weight.
To evaluate metabolic changes during the day without the effects of activity level, eating habits and sleep patterns, the researchers studied seven participants for more than a month in a laboratory devoid of windows or clocks. Participants did not have access to a phone or internet, and were given schedules to sleep, wake up and eat.
We know what you think. No windows? No phones? Have they been kidnapped? Calm down, we promise that they did it willingly.
Each night, participants went to bed four hours later than the night before. It mimicked what a person would feel when traveling west across the globe in a week.
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"Because they were the equivalent of going around the world every week, the internal clock of their body could not keep up," co-wrote Jeanne Duffy, of the Sleep Division. and circadian disorders of the Brigham and Women's Boston Hospital, in a statement. This left the body to take care of its time without relying on signals from the outside world. "It allowed us to measure the metabolic rate at all biological hours of the day."
The researchers found that participants burned the least amount of resting calories late in the biological night, when the body temperature of their body had dropped. The energy expenditure was highest around 12 hours later, in the afternoon and evening biologicals.
The study itself was small, but the results provide a better understanding of the influence of circadian rhythm on metabolism. The researchers suggest that future studies examine whether these changes in resting metabolic rate contribute to weight gain in people who do not follow their regular sleep schedules. Until then, anyone trying to lose weight must follow a normal schedule, which is important for general health.
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