Can Lack of Sleep Make you Fat?
There have actually been several studies looking into this very question, and so far, there has consistently been a link between obesity and regular sleep of less than 7 hours a night.
The latest study was published in a recent issue of Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Researchers found that people who stated they slept less than 7 hours each night were three times more likely to be obese than those who got 8 or 9 hours of sleep. But they also found that those who slept MORE than 9 hours also suffered from excessive weight.
There have been other studies looking into why research continues to show a link between the lack of sleep and obesity, but all are still just speculation. One theory is when people are up longer, they spend more time eating. Certainly if someone is awake later into the night and eat, they are more likely to eat higher fat, higher calorie foods. Sometimes people will specifically eat in order to stay awake, too!
Another theory that has received a lot of attention in the research is that sleep deprivation raises the body’s levels of an appetite-stimulating hormone known as ghrelin. At the same time, the levels of a hunger-suppressing hormone, leptin, goes down.
Regardless of the cause, the bottom line question is what can YOU do about it? Are you struggling to lose weight? If so, how much sleep are you getting per night on a regular basis? I have actually noticed a trend with my own clients; those who get less than 8 hours of sleep per night continue to struggle with weight! Now, I recommend more sleep for many more reasons than just to lose weight, but what a nice benefit that would be, huh?
If you are getting less sleep than you honestly feel you need (because SOME people function just fine on less than 7 hours of sleep), ask yourself why. If you would like to feel more energized and refreshed for the day by getting more sleep, start putting a plan together, now, to make it happen. Perhaps you just stay up on the computer or in front of the TV too long! I remember when my daughter was very small; I would stay up very late because that was my only ‘quiet’ time. However, I then was dragging during the day and really suffered MORE for trying to ‘enjoy’ my time without a toddler.
We are into a New Year. What would you like to do to create a New You? Maybe a good first step is to get more sleep!
Abstract of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine study:
http://www.aasmnet.org/jcsm/ViewAbstract.aspx?citationid=3426
Other articles related to sleep and obesity:
http://tinyurl.com/22vvcl
http://data.healthis.org/pv/200706/a06.pdf
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2006.00277.x
http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=000097543
The latest study was published in a recent issue of Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Researchers found that people who stated they slept less than 7 hours each night were three times more likely to be obese than those who got 8 or 9 hours of sleep. But they also found that those who slept MORE than 9 hours also suffered from excessive weight.
There have been other studies looking into why research continues to show a link between the lack of sleep and obesity, but all are still just speculation. One theory is when people are up longer, they spend more time eating. Certainly if someone is awake later into the night and eat, they are more likely to eat higher fat, higher calorie foods. Sometimes people will specifically eat in order to stay awake, too!
Another theory that has received a lot of attention in the research is that sleep deprivation raises the body’s levels of an appetite-stimulating hormone known as ghrelin. At the same time, the levels of a hunger-suppressing hormone, leptin, goes down.
Regardless of the cause, the bottom line question is what can YOU do about it? Are you struggling to lose weight? If so, how much sleep are you getting per night on a regular basis? I have actually noticed a trend with my own clients; those who get less than 8 hours of sleep per night continue to struggle with weight! Now, I recommend more sleep for many more reasons than just to lose weight, but what a nice benefit that would be, huh?
If you are getting less sleep than you honestly feel you need (because SOME people function just fine on less than 7 hours of sleep), ask yourself why. If you would like to feel more energized and refreshed for the day by getting more sleep, start putting a plan together, now, to make it happen. Perhaps you just stay up on the computer or in front of the TV too long! I remember when my daughter was very small; I would stay up very late because that was my only ‘quiet’ time. However, I then was dragging during the day and really suffered MORE for trying to ‘enjoy’ my time without a toddler.
We are into a New Year. What would you like to do to create a New You? Maybe a good first step is to get more sleep!
Abstract of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine study:
http://www.aasmnet.org/jcsm/ViewAbstract.aspx?citationid=3426
Other articles related to sleep and obesity:
http://tinyurl.com/22vvcl
http://data.healthis.org/pv/200706/a06.pdf
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2006.00277.x
http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=000097543
posted by Margie Geiser, MBA, RD, NSCA-CPT at
7:14 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home