Can You Gain Weight from Lack of Sleep?

One study found that adults who report fewer than four hours of sleep a night are a whopping 73 percent more likely to be obese, compared to adults who maintain adequate sleep. And it isn't just adults whose lack of sleep affects their waistline. Skimping on sleep appears to be adding to the growing trend of obesity in children and adolescent. For instance, one survey shows that teenage boys who slept seven hours or less on weekdays had an average body mass index that was 3.8 percent higher than those who slept more than seven hours. Likewise, teenage girls who slept seven hours or less had a body mass index that was 4.7 percent higher than girls who got more than seven hours of sleep per weekday. What accounts for the connection between sleep, hunger and metabolism?

Sleep deprivation alters the way the body digests food-especially how it processes carbohydrates. Disrupting this delicate process hastens weight gain. Dr Mainieri explains to patients that missed sleep triggers hormonal changes-and consequential alterations to the brain and nervous system. Two keyt hormones called ghrelin and leptin are involved in appetite. Ghrelin causes hunger, while leptin signals the brain to stop eating when full. Lack of sleep throws these crucial hormones out of balance, causing increased hunger and the lack of a sensation of fullness. This imbalance also causes a craving for calorie-dense, high-carbohydrate foods. The hormone orexin also plays a role in the sleep-hunger connection. It seems that orexin, which is important for healthy sleep patterns, activates a protein called HIF-1. This protein, which has long been known to stimulate cancerous tumor growth, also plays a role in metabolizing carbohydrates.

Fatigue is perhaps the most common excuse for skipping a workout. People who skimp on sleep are more likely to simply feel too tired to exercise, or not exercise as vigorously or for as long as their more rested peers. While exercise is vital to optimal health, don't skip sleep to exercise. Rather, re-evaluate your schedule to allow time for both. Some research indicates that, for the purpose of weight loss, sufficient sleep may be as-or perhaps even more-important than exercise. Make both a priority, even if it means cutting back on work or other activities. The ideal amount of sleep typically ranges from seven to nine hours a night for most adults. Who new that sleep could have such an effect on more things than just fatigue and drowsiness?