Today I’m going to show you how a father (John), working in Night shift, fought back to restore Leaky Gut and reverse his obesity.
John is a 35 year old father who works in Night shifts in a Call Centre.
The nature of his job demanded John to work during night shifts.
John was lean, fit and had no Gut problems in his late 20s when he had a day job.
It had been 3 years since he started working in night shifts.
Night shift meant that he would sleep during the day for the most part.
John’s lifestyle and Schedule
His typical day would start by sleeping from morning 8 AM to 4 PM, have some food at 4 PM.
Exercise between 6 to 8 PM.
Have one more meal at 9 PM.
His night shift would start from 10 PM to Morning 6 AM between which he would have 2 more meals.
John started noticing that he was gaining weight and it was not too long before he noticed that he was getting obese.
This change was strange and shocking to John as he had never been obese earlier.
Despite eating healthy food and exercising, John was gaining more weight.
He was getting frustrated as days passed.
He fixed an appointment with a Doctor who ran some tests and there was one more surprise that John had to deal with.
The Doctor told John that he was diabetic as well.
The doctor suggested some modification in his diet and asked him to meet a month later.
John’s double shock moment!
Now, John had to deal with a double shock of weight gain and diabetes. He acted according to his doctor’s suggestion.
But, he was also getting impatient at the same time.
Finally, he made a decision to discuss his frustration with his friend who recommended him to meet a Functional Medical practitioner, Mark.
John fixed an appointment with Mark on a weekend.
Mark started asking John about his diet, exercise and lifestyle history for the last 10 years.
Everything seemed fine for Mark until John started discussing about his Night shift job which he was occupied for the last 3 years.
Mark carefully heard everything John had to say regarding his typical day at work and his schedule.
After John finished, this is how the conversation went between him and Mark.
Crucial Conversation between John and Mark
Mark: John, you know what. It is your schedule, especially the time you are eating and sleeping that is the main reason of your problem.
John: I’m really shocked to hear that. I’m eating a healthy diet and sleep a good amount of time during the day. I exercise regularly as well.
Mark: I completely understand and agree with you. It’s not your fault.
John: But how does the time at which I eat and sleep cause obesity and diabetes which I never have a history of in my life?
Mark: Before I go into that I will have to reveal that you may have disturbed your gut Eco system as well which is commonly known as leaky gut… Let me explain..
Root cause to action to restore Leaky Gut
Mark: There are 2 Internal clocks within our body. One is in the Brain called “Central Circadian Clock” and one is in the Gut (Intestine) called “Intestine Circadian Clock”..
Both respond to light and darkness that is in tune with Nature.
The clocks are most active and they actually do their work when it is Morning (Natural light from Sun).
They become inactive when Sun starts to set and when it is Night (Natural darkness).
Both the clocks operate according to their own Rhythm called the Circadian Rhythm.
Our schedule, meaning the time at which we eat and sleep has to be in tune with the Circadian Rhythm.
But, in your case you are acting against the Rhythm of your body unknowingly and that is the reason for your leaky gut and obesity.
John: Really ?
Mark: Yes. This is a comparatively new field of study in the recent times called “Chronobiology”. There is quite a lot of research going on in this field related to the timing of food, sleep and exercise.
I will reveal some of the studies …
Studies reveal that we need to work with Circadian Rhythm to restore Leaky Gut!
Research #1 – Circadian misalignment contributes towards obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
Research #2 – Circadian misalignment Sleep loss, Metabolic Disease – Gut Microbiota
Research #3 – Circadian Rhythm and Gut Microbiome
Research #4 – Endless effects of Circadian Rhythm Disruption
John: Thank God and my friend, I got a chance to meet you. So, what do you suggest or recommend me to do? Can I reverse the conditions I have got?
Mark: Yes. You can, provided you do Intermittent fasting under my observation and for a short period of time which I will recommend, change your schedule and align your timings to what you were doing before your Night shift journey began.
John: Oh. That means I may have to change my Shift.
Mark: If you can, definitely yes. But, if you see any constraints or restrictions, I would recommend you to look for another job which helps you work during the day!
The turning point in John’s life to restore leaky gut
John: I think I’ll try changing my shift to day shift and if that doesn’t work I’ll look for another day job. Nothing is more important to me than my health and my family.
Mark: All the best John! We can meet 2 months after you change your schedule.
John: Thank you very much Mark! I really appreciate your inputs and information.
So, John couldn’t get a day shift at his current job but managed to get a day job elsewhere.
After changing his schedule John started noticing positive difference regarding his obesity although very small.
2 months later he met Mark again.
This time there was some good news for John. His diabetes was coming under control.
6 months passed by and John was back to his normal shape what he used to have in his late 20s.
His diabetes came under control as well.
After all this John was asked to maintain his schedule and lifestyle which was not at all difficult for him.
That is how John changed his schedule to restore Leaky gut and reverse his obesity.
Infographic: Schedule in tune with Circadian Rhythm
References
- Circadian Regulation of Metabolism
- The Role of Microbiome in Insomnia, Circadian Disturbance and Depression
- Circadian Rhythm and the Gut Microbiome
- Circadian Disruption Changes Gut Microbiome
- Serious Effects of Disrupting Gut Bacteria Circadian Rhythm
- “Hijack” Your Intestinal Circadian Rhythm, Causing Weight Gain
- Circadian Rhythm and the Gut Microbiome
Conclusion
Schedule and lifestyle is a major factor in many chronic diseases that we experience today.
Even in the case of Leaky gut it is a huge factor.
As you have read through in this article, our body and internal systems respond to light.
They have their own internal clock according to which they tune their activities.
We need to accept, understand and act according to those tunes and rhythms to stay balanced.
May be schedule is one of the reasons of your current leaky gut condition.
May be you need to retrospect you schedule and lifestyle according to the circadian rhythm.
What do you think?
Please fee free to comment and share for the benefit of others.
