Majority of us are well aware of the fact that sleep deficit makes us overweight and obese. We spend 33% of our lives asleep but we rarely give it a moment's notice until we are unable to sleep. Sleep experts across the board agree that most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night, of course with few exceptions, for optimum performance, health and safety.
When we don't get adequate sleep, we accumulate a sleep debt that can be difficult to "pay back" if it becomes too big. Difficulty falling asleep is but one of four symptoms generally associated with insomnia. The others include waking up too early and not being able to fall back asleep, frequent awakenings, and waking up feeling un-refreshed.
Studies have found a relationship between the quantity and quality of one's sleep and health problems. Amongst many health problems associated with insufficient sleep is one that of overweight and obesity.
Having sufficient regular sleep not only helps one lose weight but also helps prevent an increase in weight in those, who regularly take good night's sleep. The underlying mechanisms of how regular sleep does so are mentioned below:
Normal sleep helps the body burn more calories -
A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that normal sleepers have resting energy expenditure 5 percent higher than their counterparts, who have insufficient sleep. Resting energy expenditure is the amount of calories the body burns normally at rest. Therefore, normal sleepers burn about 20 percent more calories after a meal than sleep-deprived people!
It helps avoid late night snacking -
When people stay up half the night, they are tempted to do more munching. According to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, sleep-restricted subjects, sleeping from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m., gained more weight than their well-rested counterparts, sleeping from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m., mostly because they ate 550 calories from 11 p.m. to 4 p.m., a time that the other group spent in bed asleep. This is enough to make one gain more than one pound in only a week. Moreover, well-rested people are more likely to exercise.
It makes one a wise shopper -
When one is very hungry, one is likely to reach for calorie loaded foods. Similarly, when one is tired or exhausted due to lack of sleep, one is likely to reach for calorie loaded foods while shopping for food. In a study published in the journal Obesity, the researchers found that sleep-deprived men bought foods having nearly 1,300 calories more than well-rested men.
It helps avoid bigger portions -
The experts agree that in general people have a problem of portion distortion that leads to overeating. This distortion is more evident in persons with sleep deficit, and thus they are more likely to go for bigger portion size.
It helps regulate hunger hormone -
Loss of sleep increases body's production of the hormone Ghrelin, which stimulates hunger. Lack of sleep also decreases the levels of the hormone Leptin, which signals the brain, when body doesn't require any more food. As these two hormones are directly responsible for regulation of hunger, their imbalance makes one feel hungry all the time, thus encouraging overeating.
It helps regulate inhibitions -
The researchers at Harvard Medical School performed brain scans on people, who reported high daytime sleepiness and measured their brain activity in response to high-calorie foods. The scans showed reduced activation in the ventro-medial prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain involved with inhibition and behavior control. In another study from Columbia University, the researchers found brain activity differences in sleep deprived people's response to food. Their study revealed increased activation in an area of brain called insular cortex, which regulates pleasure-seeking behaviors. So, sleep deprived persons lose their inhibitory control over impulsiveness to reach for high calorie foods.
It helps reduce stress -
Many report that their stress increases when the length and quality of their sleep decreases. As many as thirty-seven percent of adults report fatigue or feeling tired because of stress. Chronic stress unleashes a hormone called cortisol, which increases appetite and ramps up motivation to eat. Stress also seems to affect food preferences, increasing the intake of food high in fat, sugar, or both.
The bottom line -
Statistics indicate that more than 30% of population worldwide suffers from insomnia. People, who suffer from sleep deprivation, are 27% more likely to become overweight or obese. A study at Columbia University revealed that people, who sleep five hours or less per night, almost double their risk of becoming obese. So, these sobering statistics underscore the importance of good night's sleep everyday!
It has been found that people are developing insomnia worldwide. It is, in fact, increasing so fast that it has assumed almost epidemic proportions. As a result, we develop myriads of illnesses due to insomnia, one of which is increase in weight. The current article explains how normal sleep helps keep our weight normal, warding off overweight and obesity.
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