Wonderful relationship between hours in sleep and what
the scale says:
Not getting enough sleep regularly will not only make you
tired - it will also increase your weight. The fact is that the people whose
sleep is less than five hours a night have about a third to gain weight (30
pounds gain over a period of 16 years) compared to those who close their eyes
for seven hours a night.
Let us know the connection?
Many factors play a part in weight gain. Lack of sleep
affects the way our body by making us feel hungry compared to that if we had
good sleep. What actually happens is that due to lack of sleep your body boosts
hormone ghrelin which in turn stimulates appetite. Ghrelin also decreases a
hormone called leptin which makes you feel satisfied. And, chances are, the
foods you are craving are not apples or spinach but foods that are high in
calories and fat.
Lack of sleep also enables you to take more short naps
and at every wake up you have more time for eating. The concept of a
"fourth meal" comes later than those who live should they feel
hungry. Even if you do not eat a full meal, eating at late night snacks can
definitely lead to weight gain. You also
need the motivation to exercise and the lack of sleep gives you less energy to go to the gym. Slow down of metabolism happens due to less sleep which in turn burns
fewer calories.
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How sleep affects weight?
There are other ways to learn more about the connection
between sleep and weight gain. People who are overweight are more likely to
suffer from sleep problems. People suffering from anemia i.e. around 50% are
overweight. Extra weight means adding fat tissues around the neck which can
suppress throat during sleep and then close it briefly. The good news is that
you don't need drastic changes to see the difference - even small amounts of
weight loss can improve your sleep.
Is it too much sleep for my weight?
Everyone says to this question: If you sleep too much,
what happens to your weight? There is however some connection between having
too much sleep and being overweight. The longer sleep will lead to depression, cancer, or other
issues which in turn may lead to obesity. Consult your doctor if you suspect sleeping too much.
Children, weight, and sleep
Sleeping too little does not cause weight problems for
adults. Children with less sleep are subjected to weight gain risk. This problem
starts early at the age of three where if the child sleeps less than 10 hours
in the night there is around 45% risk that he or she will be overweight or
obese by the age of seven. And if an infant has slept less than 12 hours in a
day than he/she has chances of becoming obese at the age of three compared to
an infant who is likely to suffer from sleeping more than 112 hours a day.
Researched facts:
As per a recent study from Northwestern Medicine people sleeping
late consumed more calories 248 to be exact especially at dinner and later in
the evening. As compared to sleeping earlier the late ones consumed half as
many vegetables and fruits, doubling the intake of fast food and gulping more
full-calorie sodas. Extra calories meant a significant amount of gain in weight
i.e two pounds per month if they are not balanced by exercises.
The study had 51 participants, 23 of whom were late sleepers while 28 were normal sleepers and the average age of these people was 30 and the experiment were for a week.
Late Sleepers: Slept at 3.45 am and woke up at
10.45 am.
Ate breakfast at noon, lunch at 2.30pm, dinner at
8.15pm and the final meal at 10pm
Normal Sleepers: Slept at 12.30 am and woke up
at 8 am.
Ate breakfast at 9 am, lunch at 1 pm, dinner at 7pm
and the last snack at 8.30 pm
It was concluded that the timing was important in
addition to the number of calories consumed each day. It was also found that
eating after 8 pm may lead to higher BMI even after controlling the duration
and sleep timing.
CONCLUSION:
Regulate your timing of eating and sleep which in turn
would improve the weight loss programs.
