As much as we all know getting a good night's sleep can do wonders for the day ahead, we rarely think of the impact delaying bedtime on a regular basis can have on our long-term health and well-being. Now a doctor has cautioned against putting off shuteye, especially as you start to get older.
According to Dr Karan Raj, who uses his various social media platforms to educate his followers on all things medical, you could well be missing out on a vital sleep phase if you regularly stay up too late, and this may affect all-important growth hormone replenishment.
Taking to TikTok, where he goes by the username @drkaranr, Dr. Karan explained: "The early part of the night is dominated by NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep.
"This is important because NREM sleep includes the deeper restorative slow-wave sleep that's coupled with the biggest release of growth hormones in your 24 hours."
Offering further details about his 'crucial nugget of knowledge', Dr Karan went on to state how, for men, 70 per cent of growth hormones, which are needed for metabolism and tissue repair, are released during this slow-wave sleep.
He continued: "As the night goes on, the ratio of NREM to REM changes and you get progressively less NREM and more REM sleep. So if you delay your bedtime, you cut short the time you spend in slow-wave sleep, so you get less of that juicy growth hormone."
Various studies support the importance of growth hormones for regulating weight and cutting fat mass, with lack of sleep linked to weight gain and obesity.
According to Dr. Karan, keeping this in check becomes particularly important once you enter your 30s and 40s, at which point the total amount of growth hormone released within 24 hours will decrease. The amount of slow-wave sleep will also decrease as you get older.
With this in mind, Dr. Karan advised: "This makes it even more important to go to bed at a similar time every day, so you can scoop up every last bit of growth hormone."
Many followers could relate all too well to not drifting off easily, with one exasperated follower commenting: "Sometimes I think to myself 'I'm going to sleep this time at 11:00 pm and not past that anymore', but my phone ruins me by a lot."
Another sighed: "Me watching this at 1 am."
Do you have a sleep-related story to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
