Counting Sheep Aids Weight Loss
By
Linda Coburn
March 26, 2008
Not only are Americans eating more, they're sleeping less. Experts agree this could be a major factor contributing to the obesity epidemic in this country.
Sleep affects the hormones that regulate satiety, hunger, and how efficiently you burn calories. Too little sleep may make you hungry, especially for high-calorie foods, and may cause your body to retain fat. It may also boost your insulin levels, which increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
In the 1990s, European researchers studying children's health found that the amount of sleep a child got was a better predictor of being overweight than time spent watching television. Now, researchers in the U.S. have found the same is true for adults up to about age 60. A major study completed in 2004, the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study, tracked the sleep habits of nearly 3,000 middle-aged people. Those who typically slept less than eight hours a night were more likely to be overweight.
In another study conducted at Columbia University, researchers found that people who slept six hours a night were 23 percent more likely to be obese than people who slept between seven and nine hours. Those who slept five hours were 50 percent more likely, while those who slept four hours or less were 73 percent more likely to be obese.
The experts aren't entirely certain why people who sleep less weigh more, though they believe it has to do with two hormones: leptin, which is released by fat cells and signals the brain to stop eating, and ghrelin (pronounced GRELL-in), which is made in the stomach and signals the brain to keep eating. The two influence whether you go for a second helping or step away from the table.
Studies, like one completed by University of Chicago (UC) researchers, have shown that leptin levels are lower and ghrelin levels are higher in people who sleep fewer hours. When 12 healthy young men were limited to just four hours of sleep for two consecutive nights, their leptin levels were 18 percent lower and their ghrelin levels were 28 percent higher than after two nights of sleeping for 10 hours. The combination of low leptin and high ghrelin likely increases appetite, as it did for the men in the UC study who said they were hungrier for salty foods like chips and nuts; sweets like cake, candy, and ice cream; and starchy foods like bread, cereal, and potatoes after four hours of sleep than after 10 hours.
Compounding the problem, the brain interprets a drop in leptin as a sign of starvation, signaling the body to burn fewer calories. Sleep deprivation may also affect insulin resistance and blood glucose levels, two important components of metabolism. Overeating and losing sleep may perpetuate a vicious cycle since many obese people suffer from sleep apnea and other sleeping disorders, causing them to be continually sleep deprived.
Comments
Im hooked on carbs and I think its cuz I dont sleep enough. maybe my next diet will be more sleep.....seems easier than giving up fast food
I think its true because when I am tired I eat more - I think it will give me energy.
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