Sara Marín, microbiota expert warns: “If you get up at 8 every day and around midday on the weekend...”
The health professional appeared on ‘Your friends the hormones’ podcast, sharing several tips for getting a better night’s sleep.
Getting enough high-quality sleep is essential for proper physical and mental recovery. Rest allows the body to consolidate memory, regulate emotions, repair muscle tissue and eliminate toxins, among many other critical functions.
That is why so many people, hoping to sleep longer and better, scour the internet for tips, hacks or tools that might help. Recently, microbiota expert Sara Martín appeared on the podcast Tus amigas las hormonas, (’Your friends the hormones’) hosted by Isabel Viña, where she shared a series of practical recommendations for improving sleep.
“What simple and practical advice would you give on sleep?” she was asked. Martín did not hesitate. “One thing that really affects me is eating dinner late. Insulin and melatonin are enemies. If one is present, the other isn’t. So if insulin is active, melatonin steps aside,” she explained.
According to the specialist, when the body is busy digesting food, it is not in an optimal state for sleep. “Your body activates or deactivates functions depending on what you do or don’t do. You should have dinner at eight, nine at the latest,” she said, although this will depend on the time you go to bed.
Why weekend lie-ins can disrupt your circadian rhythm
Martín also pointed to another common habit – sleeping in on weekends. “If you wake up at eight every day and then on the weekend you wake up at one in the afternoon, your body needs three days to recover the circadian rhythm you disrupted,” she revealed.
Viña expressed surprise, but Martín insisted that although many people rely on weekend catch-up sleep, that lost rest does not truly come back. “Just because you sleep four extra hours that day doesn’t mean you recover the week’s sleep,” she concluded.
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