Mustafa Özçürümez focuses on the connection between circadian rhythms and health.
Interview
Living with the Internal Clock
Eating late and working in front of our computers at night should not become a habit.
Professor Mustafa Özçürümez, head of Laboratory Medicine at the Department of Internal Medicine of the Knappschaft Kliniken University Hospital Bochum, provides tips about a healthy circadian rhythm.
Professor Özçürümez, how can we live in harmony with our internal clock?
It is ideal to go to bed and wake up early, and to retain this rhythm all throughout the week. The vast minority of people live that way now, of course. Yet there are exceptions, such as monks and nuns in monasteries. Statistically, they not only live longer than the average person, but they do not experience the high mortality rates among men. This means that men and women live equally as long.
Why does this impact men more heavily? What does it say about women?
I think that men tend to postpone their circadian rhythm more than women do. Women, on the other hand, have many obligations that may keep them more on track.
Why is it so unhealthy to stay awake for a long period?
People who are active late exhibit unhealthy metabolic changes. Late meals are more difficult to metabolize. Insulin resistance increases in the evening. Furthermore, a disrupted circadian rhythm can lead to sleeping disorders. Late nights here and there are no big deal, but over a long period of time, it derails the internal clock.
Do you have any other tips?
Yes, spending at least 30 minutes daily outdoors in the sunlight. Many people don’t manage to do this, but it’s important for stabilizing our biological rhythm.