Obesity and Sleep

Did you know that lack of sleep can make you fat? Neither did I. I had mistakenly thought it might even help my weight loss plan to stay up late. After all you are using more calories when you up and about than when you are sleeping aren't you?

But recent studies indicate that lack of sleep can actually make you fat. So if you think sleep is a waste of time and you would like to shed a few pounds read on.

Two large studies have shown that those who sleep less are more likely to be overweight or obese. Eve Van Cauter, director of the Sleep Research Laboratory at the University of Chicago School of Medicine, and the lead investigator on one of the new studies says that sleep deprivation activates a small part of the hypothalamus, the region of the brain that is involved in appetite regulation.

The hormone that causes hunger is called ghrelin and when it is low you feel hungry. Its opposite, leptin, is secreted when you are not hungry.

In a long term study researchers at the University of Wisconsin and Stanford University tracked 1,024 people ages 30 to 60. It was found that those who regularly slept for only 5 hours a night had higher ghrelin and lower leptin levels and they were more likely to be overweight or obese.

Other recent studies show the same connection, including one from Columbia University in New York. They studied data on over 6000 people to compare sleep patterns and obesity.

This is what they found:

IIt seems that sleep deprived people feel hungrier (leptin is low) and because they are awake for longer they have more time to eat. Not only that but sleep deprived people are stressed and need a pick-me-up. Their pick-me-up of choice is  high calorie fatty or sugary snacks, real comfort foods. To add to all this night owls are not spending their extra hours on the treadmill. No, they are sitting around watching TV or reading. This all contributes to their being more likely to be obese or overweight.

So now you know, you really do need your beauty sleep.