(11-12-12) Study Says Your Sleep Problems Linked to Obesity

by Jeff Jurmain, MA

Are you unhappy with your weight? Does the bathroom scale convey unhappy
messages? Well, let's for a moment cast our eyes out of the bathroom, and over
to the bedroom. How much weight gain could be caused by sleep disruption?

With insomnia an ever-increasing problem in society, there is evidence that
links even partial sleep loss to an energy imbalance in the body. Imbalanced
energy tends to materialize in the form of weight gain and loss. If we are busy
dieting and exercising, looking to shed pounds, how big of a wrench could
disrupted sleep throwing into these plans?

Well, a brand new study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics tried to find answers in an extensive review of literature published
over 15 years.

Here are some quick facts to consider. More than 35% of U.S. adults are obese,
and more than 28% sleep fewer than six hours a night. Are the two linked?
Meanwhile, strategies to shed pounds focus on diet and exercise (rightfully),
but what if this focus should be expanded? What if modifying your daily
routine, including sleep behaviors, could help you manage your weight?

PLUS: What could be stealing your sleep at night?

The new study suggests that partial sleep deprivation has an influence on
managing body weight. The research team evaluated articles published between
1996 and 2011 to determine the role of partial sleep deprivation on energy
balance and weight regulation. Part of their research focused on measuring
levels of hormones ghrelin, leptin, insulin, glucose, and cortisol.

The researchers found that sleep-deprived people had a few key
characteristics. One: they tended to have lower insulin sensitivity, which
promotes the onset of type 2 diabetes (or worsens it). Two: they had increases
in ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates your appetite, making you want to eat
more. Three: they had decreases in leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full
faster, and helps regulate body weight and metabolism. These alterations in
ghrelin and leptin influenced energy intake among the study subjects.

When you go through such hormone changes in an energy-reduced diet, along with
partial sleep deprivation, unfortunately you are promoting a hungry feeling in
the body. Obviously, this is not great for trying to shed weight.

So, it is high time we look to the bed for a way to reduce body weight and
improve health. Your body works to repair itself in the quiet time during the
night, and the various bodily functions balance out. But, sleep disturbances
work against this. Insomnia and other issues take a huge toll on our lives, and
that includes the goals of a diet plan.

Every diet plan should focus on improving sleep.

Shlisky, J. et al., "Partial Sleep Deprivation and Energy Balance in Adults:
An Emerging Issue for Consideration by Dietetics Practitioners," Journal of the
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2012; 112 (11): 1,785.

SOURCE:
www.doctorshealthpress.com

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