Of course you cannot choose whether it is day or night when you receive an unexpected injury – but you might be able to have a say in what time of the day you undergo surgery. Researchers have now found that wounds such as cuts and burns (suffered during daylight hours) have a 60% better chance of speedy healing than similar injuries that occur during the night.
Why does this happen?
In the study (published in the journal Science Translational Medicine), the researchers from the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge University discovered that our internal body clock regulates wound healing by skin cells to optimise repairs during the day. The researchers analysed the records of 118 patients with burn injuries. They found that the burns that happened during the night took an average of 60% longer to heal than the burns that occurred during the day. The stats pointed to the fact that the nighttime burns (between the hours of 8pm and 8am) were 95% healed after an average of 28 days while those injured during daylight hours (8am and 8pm) achieved a much quicker 17 days to reach the same state.
How to Help Wounds and Burns to Heal
These top foods can help the healing process in burns:
- Water – drink plenty of water or electrolyte drinks (such as coconut water) to help replenish lost fluids.
- Citrus fruits – include fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C to promote healing. ● Wild-caught fish – if you can include those sources of omega-3 fats, such as wild-caught fish, they will help to reduce inflammation while helping to repair tissue.
- Zinc – the chemical reactions necessary to promote wound healing require zinc. You can increase your zinc levels by adding oysters, beef, pumpkin seeds and spinach to your diet. If you are unable to get sufficient zinc from your diet, take a zinc supplement of 30 mg twice a day.
- Clean and lean protein – this is necessary to rebuild tissue.
These natural remedies will help the skin to heal:
- Aloe Vera – apply to the affected skin area twice a day, ensuring you use a natural gel that is at least 99% pure to stimulate healing.
- Lavender essential oil – this has been used for centuries to treat burns naturally by applying a few drops of lavender oil to the area three times a day.
- Vitamin E – this is another natural remedy and an important antioxidant for repairing scar tissue and healing burns. You can take it as a supplement (400 IUs per day) or apply a topical gel.
- L-glutamine – this is an amino acid which is important for tissue healing while helping to prevent infections connected with burns. Take a supplement of 500 to 1000 mg daily.
- Antioxidants – these include vitamins C and E, selenium and flavonoids which can help to reduce free radicals caused by burns.
- Manuka honey – often considered to be a vital part of your natural “home first aid kit”, this special honey will help draw fluid away from wounds and suppress the growth of microorganisms.
● HemCon bandages – these are natural wound dressings (made from a protein found in shrimp shells) that promote clotting and offer an effective antibacterial barrier against microorganisms (such as MRSA and VRE which are two common antibiotic-resistant strains.)