Sleep the pounds away. It may not replace exercise or eating properly in your slim-down efforts, but a good night's sleep can tip the scales in your favor. And, conversely, sleep deprivation makes weight gain more likely and weight loss harder to accomplish, studies show. If you're frequently awake at night partying, fretting, working or nursing a baby, exhaustion is only one of your problems -- you might also be making yourself fat.
Hormone Imbalance Created by Sleep Deprivation
Two hormones that affect appetite are produced in disproportionate amounts when you don't sleep. Ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, is overproduced, and leptin, which signals the brain that you're full, is underproduced. If you don't get enough sleep, you get hungrier than if you were properly rested. And excess amounts of ghrelin and inadequate amounts of leptin rarely signal us to eat more lean protein and healthy carbohydrates. The hormone imbalance shouts at us to eat junk food, says Jennifer Sygo, a registered dietitian who writes for Canada's "National Post."
Type 1 Diabetes and Sleep Apnea
When you don't sleep, your body also produces cortisol, the stress hormone that tends to store abdominal fat. Lack of sleep also reduces our ability to control our blood sugar. When we don't get enough sleep, we put ourselves at risk of overeating, gaining weight and developing type 2 diabetes, Sygo says. And weight gain can lead to apnea, a disruption in sleep caused by improper breathing, which can accelerate the unhealthy cycle.
University of Pennsylvania Study
Dr. Siobhan Banks led a study at the University of Pennsylvania that compared the effects on weight of unrestricted and inadequate sleep. Banks, who presented her findings at an annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, said sleep-deprived participants gained an average of 2.9 pounds during the 11-day study. The study asked 92 adults to spent 10 hours in bed for 2 nights, then 4 hours in bed for 5 nights, then 4 nights of recovery. Some participants spent 10 hours in bed for each of the 11 nights. The adults who were not sleep deprived did not gain weight.
Sleep Aids Calorie-Restricted Diets
Dr. Plamen Penev and colleagues from the University of Chicago tested the effects of sleep on healthy overweight adults. Some participants spent 5.5 hours in bed each night and some 8.5 hours in two 14-day trials spaced 3 months or more part. All participants were placed on calorie-restricted diets and all lost similar amounts of weight. But the people who slept more lost twice as much fat. Those who were sleep-deprived lost most of their weight by depleting lean muscle tissue. Dr. Penev said he believes that the endocrine system's response to a combination of restricted calories and restricted sleep was to store fat and increase production of ghrelin.
Improving Sleep Habits
Dr. Timothy Sharp, author of "The Good Sleep Guide," says it's not the number of hours you sleep at night but how you feel when you wake up that counts. If you wake up tired, your metabolism will be sluggish as well. He suggests getting more exercise during the day to help you sleep better at night. He says improving your sleep habits and bedtime environment also help. A soothing, consistent bedtime routine is important as is removing stimulating electronics---computer, TV, stereo---from your bedroom.
References
- "National Post"; Snooze and You'll Lose; Jennifer Sygo; January 2009
- "Sunday Telegraph"; Sleep Yourself Slim; Linda Drummond; December 2009
- "Sunday Mail"; Dream Weight Loss; Kelly Ryan, Katherine Firkin; November 2007
- NY Daily News: New Study Ties Lack of Sleep to Weight Gain
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