Sleep and weight gain

It’s proven that sleep makes a great difference in weight management. Turns out that Americans have been sleeping about 2 hours less than 40 years ago and that also contributes to the epidemics of obesity. A survey by American Cancer Society found that average American was sleeping 8 and 9 hours per night in 1960 that dropped to 7 hours by 1995. Today, about 30% of adults sleep less than 6 hours a night. Sleep deprivation influences the weight through several mechanisms. The most obvious mechanism is that the longer you are awake, the hungrier you get and eat more. Others are more scientific:
• During sleep we have a change in most hormones, including the ones that influence the satiety and the appetite. During sleep the satiety hormone leptin goes down and goes up when people are sleep-deprived, then hunger increases.
• Sleep-restricted people crave mostly carbohydrates, sugars and calorie-dense foods.
• Sleep deprivation leads to insulin resistance and that helps you build-up the fat around your stomach.
• Sleep-deprived beta-cells (these are cells that produce insulin) of the pancreas do not respond to increased insulin resistance and eventually in predisposed people diabetes develops.

A minimum of eight hours of sleep is shown to maintain a healthy weight, keep you happy and prolong longevity. Develop a healthy habit: turn off the computer and the TV no later than 11pm. Reading a non-fiction book in bed will help to fall asleep easier than you think. Dr M