by If you’re experiencing sleep problems, you might be in luck. For a science guru thinks he may have solved the mystery.
Longevity author and influencer Dave Asprey claimed that fluctuations in blood sugar – or glucose – levels were to blame.
A drop in these levels triggers the release of stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which wake you up, he says.
In an Instagram video shared with his 1.1 million followers, Mr Asprey said: “For most people who wake up between 3 and 5 a.m. and can’t get back to sleep, it’s usually [due to a] drop in your blood sugar.
He explained that cortisol and adrenaline trigger the release of extra glucose which experts believe is stored in the liver and muscles.
“But the problem is that cortisol and adrenaline wake you up,” Asprey said. “As long as the brain gets what it wants, you don’t sleep.”
Instead, he recommended that patients eat a “small snack before bed” consisting of “raw honey, collagen, MCT oil, or mix all three together.”
MCT oil is a supplement made from triglycerides, a type of fat found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and some dairy products that is easier to digest than other fats.
Author and longevity influencer Dave Asprey claimed that your blood sugar – or glucose – levels are to blame.
In an Instagram video shared with his 1.1 million followers, Mr Asprey said: “Most people who wake up between 3 and 5 a.m. and can’t get back to sleep, it’s a drop in their blood sugar .
A drop in these levels triggers the stress hormone cortisol, which increases glucose and, in turn, wakes you up.
Limited research has suggested that collagen, MCT oil and honey – particularly black locust, clover and raw, unprocessed honey – may provide sustained energy without the crash in blood sugar that can come from other sources .
Mr. Asprey is a multimillionaire who made his money in Silicon Valley and is the founder of the nutritional coffee brand Bulletproof.
The biohacker, who boasts of having around six percent body fat, spent $2million (£1.54million) of his own money researching and testing his limits in a bid to reverse the process of aging.
He is 50 years old but regularly claims that his “lab tests” indicate that he has a biological age of 39 and will live to be 180.
However, research also suggests that chronic stress can increase levels of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline which impact sleep.
Cortisol is sometimes called the stress hormone, but it plays a much more complex role in the body.
There are receptors for the hormone on almost every part of your body, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
So when it’s released into the bloodstream, it can latch on and affect everything from the immune system to your muscles to your hair, skin, and nails.
Lack of sleep can lead to obesity, memory loss, diabetes, heart disease, heightened and unstable emotions, impaired learning ability and reduced immune response, making you vulnerable to disease.
Experts have long advised that waking up during the night does not necessarily mean you have insomnia, which figures suggest affects up to 14 million Britons.
Yet lack of sleep has detrimental consequences, from irritability and short-term loss of concentration to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
According to the American Sleep Association, nearly 70 million Americans also suffer from a sleep disorder.
It comes as concerns have grown in recent years over Britons’ use of sleeping pills.
Latest NHS data shows the number of prescriptions for drugs like Ambien (zolpidem) and zopiclone has barely changed in the past five years, despite calls for a crackdown on the distribution of powerful hypnotics.
Advocates say they can be a lifeline for those battling the agony of insomnia.
But they can be addictive, and users may become increasingly dependent on them to fall asleep.
