Intermittent Fasting and Sleep

The modern-day buzz about intermittent fasting is primarily focused on weight loss. (To be more specific, fat loss as we discussed above.) However, weight loss is just one of the many perks of intermittent fasting. In fact, a case could be made that it isn’t even the most impressive benefit.

I have a google alert set up on my phone for “intermittent fasting.” And every day there is something new.  Here’s a passage in Psychology Today that sums it up quite nicely:

“Research shows that fasting can result in weight loss. Research also shows fasting can improve insulin sensitivity, lower inflammation, and improve markers for heart disease including lowering levels of unhealthy LDL cholesterol. Intermittent fasting has also shown promise in offering protection against and treating some cancers, as well as neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Studies show intermittent fasting strengthens immune function and enhances the body’s ability to repair cells and natural production of human growth hormone appears to rise dramatically in connection with intermittent fasting.

Human growth hormone encourages burning of fat and maintenance of lean muscle mass, aids in cellular repair, and may help slow the aging process. And fasting can reduce unhealthful inflammation and boost the body’s ability to protect itself against oxidative stress which is a major contributor to aging and disease.”

Our bodies come pre-loaded with a healing system!

Isn’t it amazing that our incredible bodies come pre-loaded with a healing system on board? Perhaps equally startling is that many of us (including myself) live most of our lives without even knowing about it.

This quote from Dr. Adam Collins to the BBC really caught my attention. “All the things we associate with poor metabolic health and disease risk–cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, diabetes and low energy–are essentially a manifestation of fuel mismanagement. Eating in a a grazing pattern means you’re not able to store, liberate and utilize fuel in the right way.”

Please remember, I am not a doctor or a scientist so I can’t give you any medical advice nor would I ever want to. Whenever I present any scientific information, I always provide you with a link to the same information I’m reading for my own purposes for you to consider. Obviously, nothing you read here should ever be a substitute for medical advice from a health professional. 🙂

Intermittent fasting’s double feature

There are two key functions of intermittent fasting that I definitely want to highlight because they are the magic-makers!

1. Metabolic Switching (this is where the fat loss comes in)

The articles continues: “In a ‘fasted’ state, which typically starts 10-12 hours after your last meal, the body is depleted of this form of glucose. Then the liver begins to break down stored fat into fatty acids called ketones to use as fuel. This process is know as ‘metabolic switching‘ and is a reason why fasting can lead to weight loss.” 

 Earlier in this post, we discussed several historic philosophers and leaders who suggested intermittent fasting for health benefits. In addition, we know that world religions have been practicing it since the beginning of time.  Was that ancient instruction purely based on observation? Primitive science? Divine knowledge? We don’t know for sure.

But, we do know that on October 3, 2016 the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine was awarded to Yoshinori Ohsumi for “discoveries of the mechanisms for autophagy.” Nobel prizes reward significant discoveries; so what is autophagy?

How autophagy cleans and repairs your body

The word “autophagy” is derived from the Greek and means “to eat” (phagy) “oneself” (auto). “Autophagy is an essential process that takes place in the human body with the goal of removing dysfunctional and unwanted parts of cells as well as regenerating existing cells to make them newer and healthier. So autophagy represents a self-preservation mechanism through which humans can clean and repair their body.” (Frontiers in Psychology)

This BBC article provides more detail. “Autophagy is the process by which the body starts to recycle the structures insides its cells, including the nucleus, where DNA is stored. The mitochondria, which synthesizes the chemical our cells use for energy, and lysosomes, which remove waste from our cells. In doing so, the cell can remove defunct structures, freeing up new raw materials from which new cellular structures can be built. Some of the new raw material might be used to make cell-protective proteins that further extend the lifespan of cells.”

It’s exciting to me that the scientific study of autophagy is still in early stages. Hopefully in the coming years, autophagy will be known treatments for some of the most debilitating diseases we are currently fighting. I’ve already experienced some of the anti-aging benefits and to be honest, I was a hard-sell. But I’m completely convinced now.

How to start intermittent fasting?

Does sleep count as fasting?

We all know exactly what it means when someone says “you look tired” Because we saw it ourselves in the mirror earlier that day. No matter how we applied our make up, the dark circles are still there. We know our face is a different hue than usual and our skin doesn’t quite look like it fits. It’s never a compliment.

Not all of us are familiar with intermittent fasting. But “sleeping” is something every single human experiences on hopefully a daily basis. Our bodies need at least minimal sleep to keep going. But quality sleep can take things to a completely different level.

According to NBC news, sleeping plays a chief role in giving us a healthy appearance. And we already know that right? Because in the mornings when we look borderline sickly, it’s usually because we didn’t get a good night’s sleep. Dr. Jeffrey Durmer of Fusion Health explains: “The face is highly vascularized. When you become sleep deprived the nervous system starts to not regulate the blood vessels very well, often resulting in redness across the face and neck. The darks circles under the eyes are a result of inflammation. The tired pallor is owed to the disruption in blood flow distribution that occurs during sleep.”

Perhaps that’s why a Sealy in the UK found that well-rested people reported having brighter eyes, a brighter complexion, clearer skin, fewer wrinkles, and improved skin condition.

Sleep holds the key to the fountain of youth

Actually, prolonged sleep-deprivation can affect our looks from head to toe. According to Dr. Mikhail Varshavski, “Sleep is a regenerative process where we heal and where our neurons build strong connections. It’s like a fountain of youth that you dive into every night.

However, this fountain of youth phenomenon cannot happen while awake so sleep is necessary. According to Dr. Jeffrey Durmer of Fusion Health:  “When you sleep you’re going through choregraphed cycles of REM and non-REM that can’t happen when you’re awake.” Dr. Durmer explains that it’s largely during non-REM sleep (4-8 hours), usually in the early onset of deep sleep, that the repairing process occurs.

“Poor sleep results in premature aging. This is because there are three key times that our body releases growth hormone,” says Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, an internist and author of “From Fatigued to Fantastic.“  We talked about earlier about how the natural production of Human Growth hormones rises dramatically when you’re intermittent fasting. Sleep is one of the times that Human Growth hormone is naturally produced.

Human Growth hormone is your anti-aging friend

So when you are fasting and sleeping at the same time? The sleep naturally produces the hormone and the fasting increases it. So next time you go to bed hungry due to intermittent fasting? Remind yourself that you are optimizing your human growth hormone production. According to Dr. Teitelbaum, the human growth hormone keeps us young. It keeps our muscled toned and our skin at full thickness. 

How to optimize sleep and intermittent fasting

1. Don’t go to bed too hungry

4. Don’t give up

Too many people throw in the towel on intermittent fasting because they don’t like to feel hungry. Especially when they are trying to get to sleep. Stay with it and keep experimenting with that last meal to optimize your sleep.

Remind yourself that intermittent fasting and sleep work together

Intermittent fasting allows your body to repair itself through autophagy. Plus, intermittent fasting also helps you lose weight.  And even a small weight loss can improve your sleep quality.

Sleeping better is shown to curb hunger, so intermittent fasting the next day is easier. Plus, while you’re sleeping, your body produces Human Growth hormone. Intermittent Fasting can cause that Human Growth hormone to rise even higher than it normally would.

I hope this post about intermittent fasting and sleep has given you some ideas about how to improve your health and and slow down the aging process. All the best to you!