Winter Dietary Habits: What Can We Learn from Hibernating Animals?

Finding enough food during the winter period can be a problem for many animals - especially if their diet usually consists of lots of insects or green plants that are only abundant in warmer weather. Some animals solve this problem by ensuring they do not use up much energy and can consequently survive for long periods on very little food. They do this by hibernating.

Hibernation is a very deep sleep. During this time the animal's body temperature drops and its heartbeat slows down considerably, as does its breathing. Energy conservation is paramount for hibernating creatures. For example, the heart rate of a bat can reduce from around 400 beats per minute right down to about 25. Its breathing can slow down to as little as just one breath per hour.[1]

Before the hibernation period, animals prepare themselves by eating lots of extra food while it’s still available. This is stored around their body as fat. Then, very gradually throughout the hibernation period, the fat stores are used up slowly by the now minimal requirements of the animal in its hibernating state.

Some animals also store food away when they:

• Go through periods of difficulty finding food
• Need food ready for when they come out of hibernation
• Wake up for short periods and need to eat some more before returning to their state of hibernation

Animals that hibernate include: bears, hedgehogs, hamsters and some species of bat… but what about us?

Do humans need more food in winter?

We certainly do seem to have a tendency to eat more during the colder months.

However, it isn't clear whether cold weather feasting is due to our animal instinct, or simply because of the different types of foods we usually associate with colder periods. In winter and autumn, we tend to eat more hot foods, such as meat and vegetable hot-pots and traditional stews for dinner.

It seems that, in general, many people gain a little weight during the winter months. We tend to be a bit less active in the winter too, so there is less chance of working it off. Over the years, especially with increasing age and the tendency to do less and less physical activity, weight gain can gradually increase.

However, it's not just the cold that can affect our lives...

Other effects of winter on humans

When the days are shorter and the weather colder, some people can suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). SAD is associated with the lack of daylight, and common symptoms include depression and fatigue.

Interestingly, SAD sufferers are also known to have greater appetites and to experience weight gain.[2] Many need "daylight therapy" to help reduce their symptoms. Eating more in winter can have other effects on your body than just weight gain. An increase in food consumption can affect your metabolism and possibly lead to heartburn or indigestion depending on your eating patterns. 

How do eating patterns affect your metabolism?

As we discussed earlier, people are more inclined to eat bigger meals in the winter months. These winter habits can cause weight gain as your eating patterns affect your metabolism. Eating regularly influences your metabolism, which in turn affects food digestion. Temporary metabolic changes take place when you eat more than you usually do, or indeed if you eat less than your normal amount. The metabolism of slimmer people tends to be boosted by overeating, while the metabolism of obese people slows down if they diet.

Metabolism is also controlled by exercise and having regular mealtimes, so those who work unusual hours, or shifts, may have difficulty maintaining good eating and metabolic patterns. As people are less active during the winter months, this can also slow down their metabolism. The constant change in the types of meal needing to be consumed at different times of the day, due to changing sleeping patterns, can mean metabolic instability. Dieticians at your local GP surgery can advise you on your diet, particularly if you have constantly changing work / sleep patterns.

Those eating late at night and then sleeping are more prone to weight gain, since your metabolism is normally slower during this period. It's more advisable to eat bigger meals during daytime hours, or at least as early in the evening as possible as this is when your metabolism is faster and you are less likely to suffer from indigestion.

Treating heartburn or indigestion caused by winter diet patterns

If you've found that you suffer from indigestion or heartburn more in the winter period, possibly due to changing your dietary habits or patterns, you may be able to prevent it by looking closely at what you're eating and when. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you tend to eat bigger or more fatty meals?
• Do you tend to eat later in the day?
• Do you go to bed earlier with less time between finishing your meal and bedtime?

Indigestion may often occur not long after a big meal

Heartburn can more easily happen at night, since you are lying down. This position can make it simpler for stomach acid to pass back up (reflux) into the oesophagus and cause the symptoms of heartburn. These include the burning sensation in the chest area due to stomach acid affecting the sensitive lining of your oesophagus.

Therefore, both the food and the time of day it's eaten could bring on indigestion or heartburn. This is because fatty, bulky foods can trigger these conditions and / or because you're not giving your digestive system the chance to breakdown the food before going to bed. If this is ringing any bell, try to adjust your diet and bedtimes accordingly. Eat lighter meals (fish, rice and pasta, for example) and eat earlier if you can.

As the winter mornings are colder and darker, we can be tempted to eat big, meaty, fatty breakfasts. This may bring on more indigestion and heartburn. If you find this happening, revert to cereals and fruit, or other lighter and more easily digested breakfast foods, like boiled eggs and yoghurts. Getting indigestion or heartburn on the way to work or at work, is not the best way to start your day - especially if it's a cold, wet winter morning.

Gaviscon Extra

Some people may choose home remedies if they suffer from indigestion or heartburn, in the hope that they may help. These include various preparations like those made with ginger, camomile, peppermint, fennel or caraway seeds. However, you might prefer something that's scientifically proven for relieving these conditions. Gaviscon Extra can offer fast, effective relief from heartburn and indigestion- during the day, at night or even on a cold morning!

Gaviscon Extra can help you in two ways:

1. It contains two different ingredients that work to neutralise stomach acid.
2. It also contains a substance that forms a raft. When Gaviscon enters your stomach this substance begins to form a protective barrier (or "raft") on top of the contents of your stomach. This prevents your stomach contents, including stomach acid, refluxing (moving upwards) into your oesophagus.

Gaviscon Extra is effective for both indigestion and heartburn. This is reassuring, since 73% of people will suffer from indigestion and heartburn interchangeably. 

Unlike some animals, thankfully, food is available for us constantly but indigestion and heartburn can be a problem all year round.

 

All information presented is not meant to diagnose or prescribe. Gaviscon Extra oral Suspension and Gaviscon Extra chewable tablets for Heartburn & Indigestion contain sodium alginate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, calcium carbonate. Always read the label. If symptoms are severe or last more than 7 days, consult a doctor or pharmacist.