JonDSleep Deprivation and Weight Gain
April 29th 2008 05:10
There is no doubt that modern life has contributed to the obesity epidemic. The rise of fast food chains, home delivery pizzas and ever increasing technology, which has made life a lot easier, have led to the intake of too much rich foods and a distinct lack of basic even basic exercise. But there is another problem that arises from the modern day 24 hour 7 day a week life style that may be contributing to Australia’s increasing waistline, that problem is lack of sleep. It is thought that 40% of Australians are overweight and that almost 50% don’t get the recommended eight hours sleep a night. Recent studies seem to have found that there is a link between sleep deprivation and over eating, which could be why new parents and night shift workers all seem to pack on the kilos.
Eve Van Cauter a sleep researcher at the University of Chicago says “We all know that obesity is due to over eating, but maybe this is partly due to us being sleep deprived and being unable to curb our appetites”
It was during her 25 year study on the effects of sleep on the body’s hormones that she discovered the link between a lack of sleep and overeating. She found that sleep deprivation activates the part of the brain that is involved in appetite regulation. This particular part of the brain helps produce two hormones ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is an appetite stimulating hormone released by the stomach, when ghrelin levels are up people feel hungry. But leptin is produced by the fat cells and tells the brain the current energy balance in the body. When leptin levels are high this tells us we are full and satisfied.
In one particular experiment Cauter took 12 men of average weight at an average age of 22 and invited them to eat and sleep at the University. On one occasion they were permitted only four hours of sleep on two consecutive nights. At another time they were permitted ten hours of sleep for two nights. Their blood was drawn at regular intervals and what Cauter found was that, leptin levels were 18% lower and gherin levels were 28% higher after they had slept for only four hours, it’s these changes in the hormonal balance that could lead to over eating and weight gain. The men were also quizzed about their hunger and food cravings. The men who had the biggest hormonal change found that they craved carbohydrate rich foods such as, cakes, pasta and bread.
But there is another theory behind the link between lack of sleep and weight gain. Emmanuel Mignot is a sleep researcher at Stanford University and while he agrees that there is a great hormonal change in the body due to sleep deprivation he still sees that the obesity epidemic comes down to a fundamental lack of exercise. He says that while sleep deprived people may feel hungrier and be tempted more by certain foods he believes that if the extra hours spent awake were used in a more productive manner such as, doing exercise, people would not see any distinctive weight gain. Dr Cauter agrees “People are usually pretty sedentary during these extra hours. They watch T.V. read or respond to e-mails. They may burn an extra 50 calories or so but the hormonal changes in the body prompt them to eat more than 50 calories”
Nick Price is a personal trainer from Liverpool England and he says “It is very interesting to hear about these chemical changes in the body, but we have to remember that there is no direct link between lack of sleep and weight gain. If you only managed four hours of sleep per night it does not automatically mean you will gain weight”. But he does agree that a good night’s rest is essential to being fit and health having recently changed his personal weight loss motto from “Eat less, move more” to “Eat less, move more, sleep more”.
“I made the change after clients were coming to my sessions dead tired after trying to burn the candle at both ends” says Mr Price “so I made it part of my programme that my clients must try their best to get at least the recommended eight hours sleep a night as I feel sleep is essential for rejuvenating the body and mind. And since adding the sleep more part to my routine, all my clients have seen amazing results.”
Weight loss programmes are getting more and more complicated with many different diets all claiming to be the miracle answer while other people are searching for that one magic system, potion or pill that will mean instant weight loss without the hard work. The truth is that there is no secret to weight loss it takes a balanced diet, regular exercise and SLEEP. You may not see instant results but trust me it will work and you will be more likely to keep that weight off.
Eve Van Cauter a sleep researcher at the University of Chicago says “We all know that obesity is due to over eating, but maybe this is partly due to us being sleep deprived and being unable to curb our appetites”
It was during her 25 year study on the effects of sleep on the body’s hormones that she discovered the link between a lack of sleep and overeating. She found that sleep deprivation activates the part of the brain that is involved in appetite regulation. This particular part of the brain helps produce two hormones ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is an appetite stimulating hormone released by the stomach, when ghrelin levels are up people feel hungry. But leptin is produced by the fat cells and tells the brain the current energy balance in the body. When leptin levels are high this tells us we are full and satisfied.
In one particular experiment Cauter took 12 men of average weight at an average age of 22 and invited them to eat and sleep at the University. On one occasion they were permitted only four hours of sleep on two consecutive nights. At another time they were permitted ten hours of sleep for two nights. Their blood was drawn at regular intervals and what Cauter found was that, leptin levels were 18% lower and gherin levels were 28% higher after they had slept for only four hours, it’s these changes in the hormonal balance that could lead to over eating and weight gain. The men were also quizzed about their hunger and food cravings. The men who had the biggest hormonal change found that they craved carbohydrate rich foods such as, cakes, pasta and bread.
But there is another theory behind the link between lack of sleep and weight gain. Emmanuel Mignot is a sleep researcher at Stanford University and while he agrees that there is a great hormonal change in the body due to sleep deprivation he still sees that the obesity epidemic comes down to a fundamental lack of exercise. He says that while sleep deprived people may feel hungrier and be tempted more by certain foods he believes that if the extra hours spent awake were used in a more productive manner such as, doing exercise, people would not see any distinctive weight gain. Dr Cauter agrees “People are usually pretty sedentary during these extra hours. They watch T.V. read or respond to e-mails. They may burn an extra 50 calories or so but the hormonal changes in the body prompt them to eat more than 50 calories”
Nick Price is a personal trainer from Liverpool England and he says “It is very interesting to hear about these chemical changes in the body, but we have to remember that there is no direct link between lack of sleep and weight gain. If you only managed four hours of sleep per night it does not automatically mean you will gain weight”. But he does agree that a good night’s rest is essential to being fit and health having recently changed his personal weight loss motto from “Eat less, move more” to “Eat less, move more, sleep more”.
“I made the change after clients were coming to my sessions dead tired after trying to burn the candle at both ends” says Mr Price “so I made it part of my programme that my clients must try their best to get at least the recommended eight hours sleep a night as I feel sleep is essential for rejuvenating the body and mind. And since adding the sleep more part to my routine, all my clients have seen amazing results.”
Weight loss programmes are getting more and more complicated with many different diets all claiming to be the miracle answer while other people are searching for that one magic system, potion or pill that will mean instant weight loss without the hard work. The truth is that there is no secret to weight loss it takes a balanced diet, regular exercise and SLEEP. You may not see instant results but trust me it will work and you will be more likely to keep that weight off.
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