Bad news if you burn the midnight oil: People who regularly work night shifts are twice as likely to have diabetes, finds new research from the University of Pittsburgh. And the risk remains even after they’ve retired and returned to a normal sleeping schedule.
How come? Previous research shows that messing with your biological clock and limiting sleep can lead to decreased resting metabolic rates and increased blood glucose concentrations, which set the stage for diabetes and other diseases, says study author Timothy Monk, Ph.D.
While finding a job with normal hours is the ideal solution, it isn’t always an option. Still, you can minimize the risks of working when you should be sleeping by focusing even more on simple diabetes-preventing strategies such as eating right, exercising daily, and getting 7 to 9 hours of shuteye a day.
The other challenge? “Night shift workers often find it very difficult to eat right and nutritious food is rarely available,” Monk adds. Your solution: B.Y.O. When you’re on the job, carry along grub that research shows helps fight diabetes, like grapes and other purple produce, nuts, and dark chocolate.
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