- The gist of this article
We live in a 24/7 economy in which increasing numbers of people working at night, or so-called ‘unsocial’ hours. In the UK, for instance, the number of retail workers working at night has doubled in recent years.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the negative effects on health of such nighttime shifts. This is partly because working at night disrupts our circadian rhythms, the “clockwork” which is built into every cell of our body. Our body expects to sleep at a certain time and to be awake at a certain time. Consequently, many people who work at night find it difficult to catch up and get the sleep we all need.
Sugary snack attack
However, often overlooked is the fact that, in order to maintain their energy levels and stay awake, night workers tend to consume a lot of sugary food and drink, or comfort foods such as burgers and snacks. When you’re fighting against your circadian rhythms in a busy warehouse at 3am, your natural instinct is not to reach for a light salad !
Moreover, irregular sleeping patterns also disturb the normal cycle of breakfast, lunch and dinner. This leads to irregular dietary intakes and further unhealthy snacking. All in all, night workers are prone to suffer from nutrient deficiencies.
Another instance where this tends to occur is as a consequence of jetlag. If you fly regularly it is probably for business, which requires you to keep awake through “post-flight” meetings with the help of energy-boosting, but often sugary, snacks. And, of course, lots of coffee.
Melatonin for sleep …
To address the difficulty of getting to sleep during the day, many night workers take melatonin. Clearly, getting more sleep is beneficial. But it will not make up for the lack of essential nutrients. And that’s where OPCs can help all those who work in the nighttime economy.
… Masquelier’s OPCs for nutrients
Eating energy-boosting snacks might help to get you through the night. But they will not give you the OPCs you need to ensure that your vascular system carries valuable nutrients to your vital organs and every cell in your body. And remember, those cells are already stressed due to a lifestyle that runs counter to our circadian rhythms, so they really, really crave for those nutrients.
So if you’ve taken a job that requires you work at night – or if you travel regularly for business – remember to take a daily dose of Masquelier’s OPCs, which have been rigorously tested in terms of efficacy and safety using state-of-the-art tools and methods. Very few other botanicals used as, or in, foods or nutritional supplements can claim this level of testing and proven efficacy.
We can’t hold back the nighttime economy. Or overcome jetlag. But with Masquelier’s OPCs we can fight back against the negative dietary and health effects.
