While getting enough sleep has long been associated with healthy brain function and a healthy immune system, research indicates its benefits extend into other aspects of health, including how much you weigh. Losing weight requires a commitment to a host of changes, including eating a healthy diet and exercising more. While getting enough sleep appears to offer numerous benefits in the weight loss battle, it will likely do little when used in isolation.
Sleep Time and Incidence of Obesity
Strong links have been established between the amount of time you sleep and the likelihood of being overweight. Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum reports to the Huffington Post that getting less than seven hours of sleep per night increases your risk of obesity by about 30 percent. The University of Chicago reports research illustrating a 70 percent increased risk of obesity for those who slept less than four hours each night.
Sleep and Hormone Levels
Hormones are chemicals that influence every bodily process. Reduced sleep has been shown to affect levels of hormones that heavily influence weight. Researchers, led by Dr. Eve Van Cauter at the University of Chicago, had healthy young men sleep for varying amounts of time to determine its influence on gherlin, the hormone that stimulates appetite, and leptin, the hormone that tells the brain when you are full. The results were published in the December 2004 issue of "Annals of Internal Medicine." After two nights of sleeping only four hours, gherlin levels increased 28 percent and leptin levels dropped 18 percent. Volunteers reported a 24 percent increase in appetite. Teitelbaum also says lack of sleep affects production of other hormones linked to weight, including human growth hormone, which influences how much fat your body burns.
Food Choices
The Chicago study also observed increased cravings for foods that can contribute to weight gain when eaten in excess. Participants reported an increased desire for sugar-rich foods, salty snacks like chips and pretzels, and starchy carbohydrates like bread and pasta. The exact reason why this occurs remains unclear. Van Cauter says since the brain is fueled by glucose -- a type of sugar manufactured from carbohydrates for energy -- it might seek these types of foods to refuel after a night of inadequate rest.
Sleep and Fat Loss
Another University of Chicago study, led by Dr. Plamen Piev, and published in the October 2010 issue of "Annals of Internal Medicine," looked at how varying sleep times affected the weight loss efforts of 10 overweight participants following a calorie-restricted diet. Participants slept an average of seven hours and 25 minutes for two weeks and then an average of five hours and 14 minutes for another two weeks. While subjects averaged a similar amount of weight loss during both phases, the amount of fat loss differed dramatically. More than 50 percent of lost weight came from fat during the period of more sleep, whereas fat loss only accounted for 25 percent of the total during the period of less sleep. Ideally, weight loss will result from fat loss, not muscle and other tissues, as this will ultimately hamper efforts by slowing down your metabolism.
Sleep Recommendations
Getting between seven and nine hours of sleep nightly appears to offer optimal benefit in terms of sleep's effects on weight. Be careful of going beyond this amount, however; Teitelbaum notes Canadian research that found sleeping more than nine hours a night increased the risk of obesity by 21 percent.
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