Effects of Sleep on Weight Loss
Hi folks! I'd like for you to meet leptin and ghrelin.
No, those are not refugee orcs from "Lord of the Rings". Leptin and ghrelin are
hormones, and research is indicating that, while they didn't have a role in the
movie, they DO seem to have a role in weight gain and weight loss.
Two studies, one at the University of Chicago in Illinois and the other at
Stanford University in California, indicated that sleep deprivation tended to
alter the levels of these hormones in such a way that they did not efficiently
fulfill their normal functions of controlling feelings of hunger and fullness.
The short answer from these studies appears to be that being short on sleep,
generally less than 8 hours a night, interferes with the work of these hormones,
and that people getting less than 8 hours a night tended to be fatter than those
who got the appropriate amount of sleep.
Here's a couple of important points:
1. Just getting more sleep is not the only answer to the weight loss problem.
While getting more sleep can improve the body's ability to function in many
ways, exercise and proper nutrition should still be components of any weight
loss program. In fact, looking at it another way, some researchers have opined
that getting a good night's sleep might help some people feel more energetic and
this may cause them to become more active as well, thus aiding in weight loss
and overall feelings of well-being. One researcher also pointed out that those
short on sleep may resort to high calorie, empty carbohydrate snacks and meals
to help them get through the day.
2. The number of hours of sleep may be important, but so is the quality of that
sleep. For example, sleep apnea, a condition which tends to be more common in
those who are overweight, can interfere with the quality of the person's sleep,
so that even after what seems like 8 hours of sleep, they still are tired and
worn out.
SLEEP, CORTISOL, AND WEIGHT LOSS
Cortisol is another hormone associated with appetite and weight loss and weight
gain. Surely you have seen the ads in which it is referred to as "nasty". In
actuality, it is nothing of the sort any more than blood is "nasty". It serves
a purpose, in fact several purposes, but it is out of place in many of our
modern situations, and the over production of cortisol can influence weight
gain, and hamper attempts at weight loss.
The problem is that high levels of cortisol tend to help people pack on pounds.
An elevation of cortisol commonly occurs when a person is physically or
psychologically stressed. It is not enough that modern society produces a
string of stressors which tend to kick the body into cortisol production mode.
This is partly due to the body's inability to distinguish between a caveman
being attacked by a bear, and a modern office worker being attacked by a "bear"
of a boss! The roar of an attacking lion can produce an effect similar to the
honking of angry drivers in road rage situation...particularly if you are the
target.
Failure to get the proper amount, and quality, of sleep tends to increase the
production of cortisol, contributing to the body's mistaken attempt to
compensate for what it sees as an attack. Most real attacks would require vast
expenditures of energy which would need to be replaced, so, cortisol signals the
body to ingest large quantities of food to help replace the missing energy and
perform repairs to the body. The problem is that if no energy has been
expended, and you are merely suffering from lack of sleep, the body is going to
get the same message as if you had escaped an attack, and the food taken in will
just be stored as fat rather than being used to replace missing energy stores.
Lack of sleep also tends to produce its own state of agitation, which can induce
the production of cortisol, and, to make things worse, worrying about your
tiredness and inability to get a good night's sleep can initiate its own cycle
of stress, thus...you guessed it, encouraging the body to produce more cortisol,
which makes you want to eat more...
While this seems like a vicious cycle, and it is, it is not unbreakable. No one
immediate action is likely to have you waking up tomorrow fit as a fiddle and
twenty pounds lighter, but you can take steps to slow down the hamster wheel and
eventually get off for good.
Plan to get more sleep. Plan to get more exercise. Plan to eat a healthier
diet. Once you have planned, however, you must implement these steps. Do not
expect to change everything all at once. Make a small change here, and, once
that has taken hold, make a small change there. Trying to do everything all at
once sets you up for failure and creates another stress in your life at the very
time you are trying to reduce stress.
Go to bed a little earlier. Turn the TV off sooner. Learn a little bit about
meditation. Take a walk. Lift that bag of sugar a couple of extra times (in
each hand) before you put it in the cupboard. Park a few feet further away from
your office or the grocery store than you did last time. You learned to walk
one step at a time, and you fell down a lot, but you didn't let it bother you
and you kept on until you finally achieved your goal and tottered a few feet on
your own (and slept like...well...a baby). Don't let this get in your way
either.
RESOURCE BOX: Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer. He is a graduate of the
University of West Florida, a member of Mensa, and retired from the U. S. Army.
Find more weight loss information at:
http://cinch-weightloss.web-home.ws/
No, those are not refugee orcs from "Lord of the Rings". Leptin and ghrelin are
hormones, and research is indicating that, while they didn't have a role in the
movie, they DO seem to have a role in weight gain and weight loss.
Two studies, one at the University of Chicago in Illinois and the other at
Stanford University in California, indicated that sleep deprivation tended to
alter the levels of these hormones in such a way that they did not efficiently
fulfill their normal functions of controlling feelings of hunger and fullness.
The short answer from these studies appears to be that being short on sleep,
generally less than 8 hours a night, interferes with the work of these hormones,
and that people getting less than 8 hours a night tended to be fatter than those
who got the appropriate amount of sleep.
Here's a couple of important points:
1. Just getting more sleep is not the only answer to the weight loss problem.
While getting more sleep can improve the body's ability to function in many
ways, exercise and proper nutrition should still be components of any weight
loss program. In fact, looking at it another way, some researchers have opined
that getting a good night's sleep might help some people feel more energetic and
this may cause them to become more active as well, thus aiding in weight loss
and overall feelings of well-being. One researcher also pointed out that those
short on sleep may resort to high calorie, empty carbohydrate snacks and meals
to help them get through the day.
2. The number of hours of sleep may be important, but so is the quality of that
sleep. For example, sleep apnea, a condition which tends to be more common in
those who are overweight, can interfere with the quality of the person's sleep,
so that even after what seems like 8 hours of sleep, they still are tired and
worn out.
SLEEP, CORTISOL, AND WEIGHT LOSS
Cortisol is another hormone associated with appetite and weight loss and weight
gain. Surely you have seen the ads in which it is referred to as "nasty". In
actuality, it is nothing of the sort any more than blood is "nasty". It serves
a purpose, in fact several purposes, but it is out of place in many of our
modern situations, and the over production of cortisol can influence weight
gain, and hamper attempts at weight loss.
The problem is that high levels of cortisol tend to help people pack on pounds.
An elevation of cortisol commonly occurs when a person is physically or
psychologically stressed. It is not enough that modern society produces a
string of stressors which tend to kick the body into cortisol production mode.
This is partly due to the body's inability to distinguish between a caveman
being attacked by a bear, and a modern office worker being attacked by a "bear"
of a boss! The roar of an attacking lion can produce an effect similar to the
honking of angry drivers in road rage situation...particularly if you are the
target.
Failure to get the proper amount, and quality, of sleep tends to increase the
production of cortisol, contributing to the body's mistaken attempt to
compensate for what it sees as an attack. Most real attacks would require vast
expenditures of energy which would need to be replaced, so, cortisol signals the
body to ingest large quantities of food to help replace the missing energy and
perform repairs to the body. The problem is that if no energy has been
expended, and you are merely suffering from lack of sleep, the body is going to
get the same message as if you had escaped an attack, and the food taken in will
just be stored as fat rather than being used to replace missing energy stores.
Lack of sleep also tends to produce its own state of agitation, which can induce
the production of cortisol, and, to make things worse, worrying about your
tiredness and inability to get a good night's sleep can initiate its own cycle
of stress, thus...you guessed it, encouraging the body to produce more cortisol,
which makes you want to eat more...
While this seems like a vicious cycle, and it is, it is not unbreakable. No one
immediate action is likely to have you waking up tomorrow fit as a fiddle and
twenty pounds lighter, but you can take steps to slow down the hamster wheel and
eventually get off for good.
Plan to get more sleep. Plan to get more exercise. Plan to eat a healthier
diet. Once you have planned, however, you must implement these steps. Do not
expect to change everything all at once. Make a small change here, and, once
that has taken hold, make a small change there. Trying to do everything all at
once sets you up for failure and creates another stress in your life at the very
time you are trying to reduce stress.
Go to bed a little earlier. Turn the TV off sooner. Learn a little bit about
meditation. Take a walk. Lift that bag of sugar a couple of extra times (in
each hand) before you put it in the cupboard. Park a few feet further away from
your office or the grocery store than you did last time. You learned to walk
one step at a time, and you fell down a lot, but you didn't let it bother you
and you kept on until you finally achieved your goal and tottered a few feet on
your own (and slept like...well...a baby). Don't let this get in your way
either.
RESOURCE BOX: Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer. He is a graduate of the
University of West Florida, a member of Mensa, and retired from the U. S. Army.
Find more weight loss information at:
http://cinch-weightloss.web-home.ws/
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