If you’re a victim of disturbed sleep, you could be in luck. For one science guru believes he may have solved the mystery.
Dave Asprey, an author and longevity influencer, has claimed that fluctuating blood sugar — or glucose — levels are to blame.
A dip in these levels triggers the release of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, he said, which wake you up.
In an Instagram video shared with his 1.1 million followers, Mr Asprey said: ‘For most people who wake up between 3 to 5am and can’t go back to sleep, it is usually [due to a] crash in your blood sugar.’
He explained that cortisol and adrenaline trigger the release of extra glucose, which, according to experts, is stored in the liver and muscles.
‘But the problem is, cortisol and adrenaline wake you up,’ said Asprey. ‘While the brain gets what it wants, you don’t get your sleep.’
Instead, he recommended sufferers eat a ‘small snack before bed’ consisting of either ‘raw honey, collagen, MCT oil or mix all three together’.
MCT oil is a supplement made up of triglycerides, a type of fat found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and some dairy products that is easier to digest than other fats.
Limited research has suggested collagen, MCT oil and honey — especially Robinia, clover and unprocessed raw honey — can provide sustained energy without the blood sugar crash that can come from other sources.
Mr Asprey is a multimillionaire who made his money in Silicon Valley and is founder of the Bulletproof coffee nutrition brand.
The biohacker, who boasts that he has about six per cent body fat, has spent $2million (£1.54million) of his own money researching and testing his limits in an attempt to reverse the ageing process.
He is 50 but has regularly made the claim his ‘lab tests’ say he has a biological age of 39 and that he will live to 180.
Research, however, also suggests chronic stress can raise levels of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline which impact sleep.
Cortisol is sometimes known as 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 gets released into the bloodstream, it can latch on to and affect everything from the immune system to muscles to your hair, skin and nails.
Experts have long advised that waking up during the night does not necessarily mean you have insomnia, which figures suggest affects up to 14million Brits.
Still, sleep deprivation takes its own toll, from irritability and reduced focus in the short term, to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
According to the American Sleep Association, nearly 70 million Americans also have a sleep disorder.
It comes as concerns have grown in recent years over Brits use of sleeping pills.
Latest NHS data shows the number of prescriptions for drugs like Ambien (zolpidem) and zopiclone have barely shifted over the past five years, despite calls for a crackdown on dishing out powerful hypnotics.
Advocates say they can be a lifeline to those battling the agony of sleeplessness.
But they can be addictive and users can become increasingly dependent on them to get to sleep.
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