Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I know that pulling all nighters is bad, but it is something that I have to do every once in a while. So, given that it's a necessity, how can I minimize the damage? Here are some initial ideas:

BCAAs to protect lean body mass.
Omega 3 to maintain cognitive function.
Minimal food to enjoy potential fasting benefits.
Zero carbs to enjoy ketosis benefits.

I'm not looking for explanations of why sleep is important; I already know that. Rather, I want ideas, speculative or informed, and related info and opinions on what I should and should not do in the context of unavoidable all nighters.

flag	asked May 15 2011 at 4:41 Eric S 5,606●12●44

Sara · Answer 1 · 2011-05-15 05:41:07Z UTC

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A tribe or village could have had a night sentry, right? It makes sense to me that it's okay once in a while if you catch yourself up.

answered May 15 2011 at 5:41

Sara
149●2

	Yeah, that makes sense, but I wonder if there are things we can do to minimize the damage done - but maybe your point suggests that the experience might have it's own benefits and thus shouldn't be tinkered with. It'll be interesting to see what others think... – Eric S May 15 2011 at 5:57
	With no scientific knowledge about sleep, with the goal of minimal exhaustion- I wonder if perhaps that chucking in one or two power naps (20minutes) throughout the night may 'reduce the damage'. I imagine this might be beneficial if your all night schedule can afford it. – PaleoMouth May 15 2011 at 6:13
	I think that's a good idea for an all nighter hack worth experimenting with -- you should post it as a proper answer! – Eric S May 15 2011 at 7:48
	When I was training for the military you could only sleep for 4 hours per night for 3 months. You became a zombie but what enables you to overcome is movement. – PersonMan May 15 2011 at 14:01
	Some other PaleoHacker posted this article about sleep and HGs in some other thread, and it gave me a lot to think about. And indeed tribes and villages do seem to have night sentries: sciencenews.org/sn_arc99/9_25_99/bob2.htm – Rose May 30 2011 at 3:55

Spelhaug52 · Answer 2 · 2011-05-15 12:57:37Z UTC

I work an overnight shift in the jail ever 56 days for a 56 day cycle. The best I have found for minimal damage to my physical and mental well being is to stay on track with your diet, but do it at night. I get home at 7am and sleep as much as possible. If I can't sleep, I am sure not to eat until my normal 4pm breakfast. I used to gain weight every time I worked this shift, but this has stopped all of that. This also gives me a chance to do my workouts in a fasted state, and I have read that this can be good thing too.

The Quilt · Answer 3 · 2011-05-15 14:42:34Z UTC

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No.....infact it's deadly.

answered May 15 2011 at 14:42

The Quilt
27.4k●1●13●82

	I agree; but what can be done to make it less deadly? – Eric S May 15 2011 at 14:46
	Dr K - If part of the Hippocratic oath is to do no harm, then may I insist that you attempt here to minimize harm? I'm an all-nighter type of guy, and though I've minimized this habit, I know that its going to happen every once in a while. That said, how can I make this terrible habit of mine less deadly, less harmful, etc? – Eric S May 15 2011 at 20:49
	My advice would be to still get 3-5 hours of sleep at night. Work during the day. Unless you work the midnight shift, you can avoid working at night by doing extra work during the day. – Namby Pamby May 30 2011 at 3:50

Namby Pamby · Answer 4 · 2011-05-30 03:47:12Z UTC

I used to work the graveyard shift. It messes up your metabolism. I can't remember a single coworker who was not overweight. I suspect many were diabetics. I'm suspicious that I may have developed insuin resistance during the period I worked from midnight to eight.

Another problem is it messes up your circadian rhythm and sleeping. I can remember, no matter how much sleep you had, you still become sleepy at 4 am, when you have to fight off falling asleep. That probaly is chipping away at your longevity.

Also, you can feel the fluid from your body being depleted. All my coworkers felt that way: the disappearnce of fluid from their intestines and stomach in the morning hours. I don't know how much damage that was doing to my body, but it may have been considerable. I'm now a T2 diabetic with multiple autoimmune issues.

Eric · Answer 5 · 2011-05-30 09:22:56Z UTC

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Well it is 2AM here...

Guess I am up late again on Paleo hacks :-)

However my goal is 7 hours of sleep (Last year I averaged 4)

I am at about 6.5...

I am going to up my goal to 7.5 and see if that helps. and go to bed earlier if I can...

7 hours is recomended for weight loss or (lack of weight gain)

answered May 30 2011 at 9:22

Eric
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	May we ask in what context your all-nighters are for? – PaleoMouth May 30 2011 at 10:21
	Just some time to myself... I need to cut back so that I can get more sleep.... – Eric May 30 2011 at 16:29

Is staying up all night paleo?

5 Answers