As some of the world’s most beautiful and talented Oscar nominees converge on the Red Carpet, many wonder how they do it—look so radiant and wonderful with the grueling schedules they keep. This year’s nominees include Helen Mirren, Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep, Penelope Cruz, Monique, Carey Mulligan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gabourey Sidibe, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, with ages ranging from the early 20’s to the early 60’s, proving once again how ageless beauty can be.

Regardless of age, each star has her own unique style. And while I cannot profess to know their secrets, I can share with you some of my secrets for radiant skin and a healthy body weight—it all starts with our internal clock and a good night’s sleep.

We humans are creatures of habits—for better or worse. We like to eat our meals at the same time, go to bed at the same time, and so on.

It turns out that there is an excellent reason for this. We all need to follow a daily circadian rhythm—that is, a rhythm based on the 24 hour cycle. For thousands of years this was not a problem. Humans went to sleep when the sun went down and arose when the sun came up. However those days are long gone. And it appears that this is not a positive change, as scientists have discovered that disruption of this cycle causes us to develop a series of metabolic discords.

Staying up too late, snacking throughout the day, and skipping meals, all upset the genes that control daily rhythms in the brain and throughout the body. One important finding is that the “clock,” which scientists thought was only in the central part of the brain, actually is also present in the part of the brain that controls appetite.

It now appears that biological clocks function not only in the brain but in many parts of the body as well—including weight gain.

It now appears that biological clocks function not only in the brain but in many parts of the body as well. They govern not only the sleep cycle but also functions including fluid balance, body temperature, oxygen consumption — and now, it has been shown, appetite, Researchers at Northwestern University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have identified wide-ranging molecular and behavioral changes in mice that have a faulty circadian system. In people, similar changes in body fat and metabolic activity are known as metabolic syndrome.

Fred W. Turek, a member of the research team stated that the study provided new genetic evidence that physiological outputs of the biological clock, sleep and appetite are interconnected at the molecular and behavioral levels.

This research data gives new credence to the concept that “we are creatures of habit.” Perhaps more importantly it establishes the fact that we need to follow a regimen in our daily lives, one based on cycles that we have been acclimated to since the dawn of civilization, such as the rising and setting of the sun. While it is not practical to go to bed with the sun, it does make sense to get up with it—and this provides us with a good excuse to not stay up to all hours and become sleep deprived—another startling cause of increased appetite and unwanted weight gain.

Sleep to Lose Weight
An important study at the University of Chicago demonstrated that sleep deprivation causes us to overeat. When we don’t get enough sleep, our levels of ghrelin, a hormone produced by stomach cells and believed to increase feelings of hunger, increases. Leptin, a hormone produced by our fat cells that suppresses appetite and burns fat stores, is decreased. It is easy to see how this can add to overeating and weight gain. In addition, the people in the study who were the most sleep deprived craved carbohydrate-rich (i.e. most fattening!) foods, such as sweets, pasta, breads, etc. According to the lead researcher of the study, Eve Van Cauter, Ph.D., levels of the stress hormone cortisol were also higher during sleep deprivation periods than when the study subjects were fully rested. The study subject’s bodies also metabolized glucose less efficiently. Dr. Van Cauter reported that the effects of sleep deprivation on glucose metabolism were similar to those found in the elderly. She therefore concluded that chronic sleep deprivation may have long-term harmful effects on the body—not the least of which is weight gain and possible accelerated aging as well.

As with exercising, we need to establish regular, healthy habits and regimens. We should strive to get as close to 8 hours of sleep per night and learn to not skip meals, including breakfast. Implementing these simple rules will eliminate the pro-inflammatory habits we fall into and help us to achieve and maintain optimum weight.