How Does Sleep Affect Your Weight and Health?

How does sleep affect weight? Does sleep deprivation cause weight gain? How to lose weight while sleeping? Does sleeping burn calories? Read on to find out how sleep can help you lose weight and how lack of sleep can cause weight gain and even obesity.

Research has shown that sleep deprivation may attribute to weight gain. Sleep is essential in helping to regulate our metabolic system. Sleep deprivation can cause significant problems in the way the body metabolizes calories and the way the body’s system behaves.

After a very short period of sleep deprivation, ghrelin and leptin, the hormones that regulate appetite and satiation (the hormones that make an individual feel full which decreases appetite) are negatively affected. The result is a feeling of hunger when an individual isn’t actually hungry.

When an individual does not get the proper amount of sleep, it can cause a resistance to insulin in the body. This results in a need for the body to have more insulin to maintain a normal blood sugar level. The result can be a craving for an abundance of sweets, salty foods and starches, which can lead to weight gain.

A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that dieting individuals who got eight hours of sleep a night lost more fat than those that had less sleep. The dieting individuals who were sleep-deprived lost weight, but they lost weight from their muscles. Muscle mass burns more calories than fat, and therefore, people who get proper sleep will normally lose more weight quicker.

Sleep loss often results in a lack of exercise, which can lead to weight gain. An individual who does not get the proper amount of sleep may not have the drive or energy to keep up a healthy exercise routine. Sleep deprivation can also precipitate sleepwalking in some individuals.

How to Sleep Better

• Only sleep when tired.
• Keep the lights low before going to sleep. The brain thinks it is time to be awake when the light is bright.
• Don’t nap unless it is necessary and make sure it is before three in the afternoon.
• Keep bedtime routine the same each night and wake up each morning at the same time.
• Read a book or listen to relaxing music before bed.
• Don’t drink alcohol or caffeine at least 4 hours before bedtime.
• Take a hot bath or shower before bed to relieve stress.
• Make sure the bedroom is cool, with enough blankets to stay warm.
• Make the bedroom dark and quiet.

Sleep Therapy and Sleep Medication

There are many medical conditions that can lead to sleep problems, such as sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome. However, some individuals just have a difficult time falling asleep due to stress, not being able to shut off the brain or the inability to relax. Behavioral counseling, called cognitive behavioral therapy, is normally tried before a medication is prescribed. Progressive muscle relaxation, breathing techniques and self-hypnosis are just a few methods that may help an individual overcome a sleep problem.

Some type of sleep aid or medication may be needed for individuals who are sleep-deprived, though it is not ideal. Sleep medication can be beneficial; however, there are many side effects that have been reported, such as sleep eating or driving a car while not being fully awake. Bed rails may help save sensitive individuals from injury.

Since weight is affected by the number of hours an individual sleeps each night, it is beneficial to put a priority on sleep.

References

1. Association between reduced sleep and weight gain in women [Am J Epidemiol. 2006]
2. Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite [Ann Intern Med. 2004]
3. Inadequate sleep as a risk factor for obesity... [Sleep. 2005]
4. The association between obesity and short sleep duration [J Clin Sleep Med. 2005]
5. The influence of sleep and sleep loss upon food intake and metabolism [Nutr Res Rev. 2007]

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