Many of us have done this-burning the midnight oil studying for midterms and finals; taking on a second or third job with late hours to earn extra income for the family; coming home after a late night game, date or midnight feature at the cinema; etc. Sometimes we postpone sleep because we want to get Sleep Apnea Machine much activity into our waking hours as possible. The downside to this is that when we deprive ourselves of sleep we invite a host of health problems.
Mounting scientific evidence suggests an inverse relationship exists between lack of sleep and weight gain. Case in point, researchers at the University of Chicago recently discovered that when people do not get enough sleep, it affects circulating levels of hormones that regulate hunger and appetite. They observed that levels of leptin, a hormone that provides the body with a feeling of fullness, decreased while levels of another hormone, ghrelin, which triggers hunger actually increased which led many of the sleep deprived test subjects to select foods high in calories and carbohydrates (1). Similarly, data collected on 1,024 individuals involved in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study, found that persons who got less than five hours of sleep per night experienced a marked increase in ghrelin with a corresponding decrease in circulating levels of leptin (2).
What is the significance of these two hormones and how to they regulate appetite and weight? Leptin is secreted from white fat cells and is responsible for telling the brain that we have had enough to eat (3). If, for whatever reason, the brain does not receive signals to stop eating, a person will continue to consume food even when it is no longer necessary or safe to do so. In most cases the end result of excess eating would be unwanted weight gain. Ghrelin, sythesized by gastric cells, is the hormone that tells us that we are hungry (4). When individuals get less sleep, they produce more of this hormone (4). This would actually make sense because metabolic and physical activity will be greater when a person is awake thus energy demands would also increase. This biological adaptation was beneficial to our prehistoric ancestors during a time which harsh environmental conditions and lack of technology would have forced them to work harder to hunt or gather food necessary to their survival. In modern times, however, such fluctuations in these hormones is contributing to health related problems which could drastically impair our quality and quantity of life.
Another tidbit of information that you just might find useful. According to the National Highway Traffic Administration's statistics, each year an estimated 200, 000 automobile accidents are the result of drivers not getting enough sleep (5). That, of course, translates into damage to body and property, higher insurance premiums, and possibly legal penalties for unsafe driving.
With all of this in mind, it becomes increasingly obvious how important a good night's sleep is to our health and well being. So, what can be done to correct this problem? To find out how visit "Living Fit, Healthy and Happy".
At "Living Fit, Healthy and Happy" you can read the conclusion of this article and learn ways you can improve your sleeping habits and get a good night's sleep. "Living Fit, Healthy and Happy" is devoted to helping people lead a healthy lifestyle. We regularly post informative and motivational articles on topics relating to fitness, exercise, nutrition, anti-aging, weight loss, dental, skin and hair care and other health-related concerns.
References
1. Sleep Loss Boosts Appetite, May Encourage Weight Gain. ScienceDaily. Dec. 7, 2004. sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041206210355.htm
2. Sleep Deprivation Tied to Shifts in Hunger Hormones. Scientific American. Dec. 7, 2004. sciam.com/article.cfm?id=sleep-deprivation-tied-to&ec=ypi
3. Leptin. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptin
4. Ghrelin. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghrelin
5. Sleep Tight. Benefits of a Good Night Sleep. mass.gov/gic/mentalhealtharticles/mentalhealthsleep.htm
Joseph Martin, B.Sc. is a strength trainer and the publisher of the physical fitness resource Medication For Sleep Deprivation "Living Fit, Healthy and Happy". When looking for sound and informative physical fitness advice "Living Fit, Healthy and Happy" is a great place to start. http://www.livingfithealthyandhappy.com
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