Honey Helps Promote Restorative Sleep

Presentations at the First International Symposium on Honey and Human Health

January 8th, 2008, Sacramento, California

Sponsored by the Committee for the Promotion of Honey and Health, Inc

The Uniqueness of Honey - - its impact on Human Metabolism and its role in Restorative Sleep
By Mike McInnis, MRPS

A model for reducing what Mr. McInnes calls the modern metabolic syndrome (chronic stress/impaired glucose disposal/impaired fat disposal) by the consumption of honey forms the basis for this presentation. Mr. McInnes introduced the dominant role of glucose metabolism in the human and establish the reverse glucose-fatty acid cycle and metabolism, then established the role of chronic cortisol driven stress in inhibiting glucose metabolism, which then inhibits fat metabolism, a critical and largely overlooked factor in the metabolic syndrome.

This presentation showed how honey improves, facilitates, (lengthens) restorative sleep by at least 3 mechanisms. When consumed before bedtime, honey:

• Insures adequate liver glycogen stores for 8 hours of sleep thus preventing or limiting early morning release of cortisol and adrenalin (stress hormones).
• Stabilizes blood sugar levels.
• Contributes to the release of melatonin, the hormone required for recovery and rebuilding of body tissues during rest.

Public Health application: Short or poor quality sleep has been associated with a whole host of diseases and conditions including childhood obesity, obesity, diabetes, CV disease, hypertension, poor memory, and other cognitive dysfunction, depression, Alzheimer’s Disease, and other neuro-degenerative diseases.

Mike McInnes is a pharmacist and a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. He has written extensively in several unpublished position papers and short articles about honey and restorative sleep. He is the author of the book, The Hibernation Diet, along with his son, Stuart McInnes. The U.S. Edition of the book was published by WorldClassEmprise in March of this 2007.