Our Bodies and Minds Need Nocturnal Sleep

In addition to sleeping for the recommend seven to eight hours for adults,^[1] we also need to sleep at night for our bodies to properly repair and heal. According to Dr. Matt Walker, head of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, "the time of night when you sleep makes a significant difference in terms of the structure and quality of your sleep."^[2] In fact, people who work late night shifts are more likely to experience heart attacks and become obese. A 2018 study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that sleeping during the day and staying up at night increase a person's risk of getting diabetes and cancer.^[3] When considering sleep, we must be mindful of not just how many hours we sleep, but also when we sleep. By following the body's natural circadian rhythm and having a good night's sleep, we are more likely to control our weight, have steadier blood sugar, and ward off high blood pressure and heart disease.^[4]