Sleep Deprivation Undermines Weight Loss!
Gail Davis
July 07, 2008
Many individuals experience chronic sleep deprivation. In the past 40 years, American adults have reduced the amount of time they sleep by two hours a night. Could this be related to the fact that one in three Americans are now obese, compared to one in nine 40 years ago?
In fact, a study conducted at the University of British Columbia discovered that adults between the ages of 32 and 49, who slept less than seven hours each night, are significantly more likely to be obese!
What could be causing this alarming statistic? The culprits, caused by sleep deprivation, are two hormones called leptin and ghrelin.
Leptin is responsible for regulating energy intake and energy expenditure. It´s main function is to tell your brain when you´ve had enough to eat.
Ghrelin´s main function is to trigger hunger. Your ghrelin levels are naturally higher prior to a meal and naturally lower following a meal.
How are these two hormones affected by sleep deprivation? A lack of sleep produces more ghrelin, an appetite stimulator, and less leptin, an appetite depressant! Participants in a 2004, University of Chicago study, who only slept four hours a night for two nights, had a 28% increase in ghrelin and an 18% decrease in leptin.
This study clearly shows that individuals who suffer from sleep deprivation for even short periods of time also suffer from increased appetites. As if that weren´t devastating enough, these individuals have also have disabled their body´s natural "stop-eating" mechanism.
Sleep deprivation puts us at an increased risk for a host of health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer, including colon cancer and breast cancer. Most researchers agree that the dangers are triggered when people get as little as 6-7 hours of sleep a night! Imagine the millions of people affected by this problem! Even with these serious health risks, the greatest jeopardy to our overall health caused by sleep deprivation just might be the alarming hormonal changes and the resulting effect on our ability to gauge hunger.
For more information about the alarming relationship between sleep deprivation and weight lossvisit Easy Weight Loss Tips.
In fact, a study conducted at the University of British Columbia discovered that adults between the ages of 32 and 49, who slept less than seven hours each night, are significantly more likely to be obese!
What could be causing this alarming statistic? The culprits, caused by sleep deprivation, are two hormones called leptin and ghrelin.
Leptin is responsible for regulating energy intake and energy expenditure. It´s main function is to tell your brain when you´ve had enough to eat.
Ghrelin´s main function is to trigger hunger. Your ghrelin levels are naturally higher prior to a meal and naturally lower following a meal.
How are these two hormones affected by sleep deprivation? A lack of sleep produces more ghrelin, an appetite stimulator, and less leptin, an appetite depressant! Participants in a 2004, University of Chicago study, who only slept four hours a night for two nights, had a 28% increase in ghrelin and an 18% decrease in leptin.
This study clearly shows that individuals who suffer from sleep deprivation for even short periods of time also suffer from increased appetites. As if that weren´t devastating enough, these individuals have also have disabled their body´s natural "stop-eating" mechanism.
Sleep deprivation puts us at an increased risk for a host of health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer, including colon cancer and breast cancer. Most researchers agree that the dangers are triggered when people get as little as 6-7 hours of sleep a night! Imagine the millions of people affected by this problem! Even with these serious health risks, the greatest jeopardy to our overall health caused by sleep deprivation just might be the alarming hormonal changes and the resulting effect on our ability to gauge hunger.
For more information about the alarming relationship between sleep deprivation and weight lossvisit Easy Weight Loss Tips.
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