 |
|
|
|
Men's Health | Women's Health | Children's Health | Elder Health Holistic Health | Healthy Heart | Cancer | Weight Loss Exercise & Fitness | Healthy Resources | HOME PAGE Health Club 101 DIRECT Natural Supplements | HGH Energizer | Eazol Natural Pain Relief | Revitol Cellulite Solution IBS Irritable Bowel Syndrome | Menopause Symptoms Relief | Insomnia Sleeping Aid Articles & Information Medicine | Nutrition | Exercise | Fitness Equipment | Pregnancy Bodybuilding Supplements | Weight Loss | Breast Cancer | Diabetes Category Site Map |
 |
Are You Overweight Because Youre Not Sleeping Enough?
If you're like me, you probably wish that there was a way for you to lose weight without having to put in much effort, right? Everyone knows the importance of exercise and how it helps us with weight loss, but on some days don't we all wish we can just sleep in bed and lose weight at the same time? Well, I've got some great news for you... Sleep is a critical part of your weight loss program! This is a little-known fact, but did you know that sleep can affect your weight? Rather, it's the lack of sleep that can make you put on unnecessary weight. You may actually lose more weight if only you were to sleep more every day. What an intriguing thought, isn't it? In a review of several studies examining the impact of sleep on the regulation of metabolism, Dr. Eve Van Cauter, Professor and Research Associate at the University of Chicago, noted that the association between hormones and sleep was identified more than 30 years ago when it was reported that adult men secrete growth hormone during the early phase of sleep. Since then, research has indicated a harmful effect of sleep loss on the endocrine system and glucose modulation. One study examined the effect of sleep debt and sleep recovery on hormone concentrations and glucose tolerance in healthy males ages 18-27. One week of sleep restriction produced dramatic results: a 30 percent slower response to both the glucose tolerance test and acute insulin response compared with results in rested subjects. Sleep deprivation also raised the 24-hour cortisol profile. Another study found that sleep deprivation resulted in 30 percent lower levels of leptin. Amazingly, the effect is similar to that observed with caloric restriction (3,000 calories over 3 days), signaling a negative energy balance. A more recent study examined the effect of 10 vs. 4 hours of sleep on appetite. Subjects who slept 4 hours were always hungry and craved starchy, sweet, and salty foods. These results suggest that sleep deprivation produces a signal mimicking negative energy balance, inducing people to eat and thereby predisposing to obesity. These results indicate an association between sleep debt and obesity. Sleep deprivation would affect glucose tolerance and leptin levels and increase the appetite for unhealthy foods. She noted that sleep restriction would have greater impact on obese individuals, who have higher leptin levels to begin with, and on older adults. Dr. Van Cauter also noted that the studies were performed in males only. Because females have higher baseline levels of some hormones (e.g. leptin), sleep restriction might have worse effects in women than in men. Hey, did you notice the groups which were mentioned specifically in the last 2 paragraphs that may be more severely affected by sleep deprivation? I'll recap them here again: (1) obese individuals, (2) older adults, and (3) women. That's really crucial for us because this means if you're a woman over 40, not getting enough sleep will probably make you feel hungry constantly and crave for all the unhealthy foods even more as compared to other people. And the more overweight you are, the more you may be affected by the lack of sleep. Not surprisingly, another study has indeed found an inverse relationship between increased body mass index (BMI) and sleep duration in women. That is, women who do not sleep enough tend to be more overweight than women who get sufficient sleep. And just in case you still believe in the myth that "Oh, it's alright because I'll catch up on my sleep on the weekends", you should note that Dr. Van Cauter also made the following observation: Sleep debt is generally not paid back fully by weekend sleep. I suppose this is kind of like the saying "An apple a day, keeps the doctor away" -- eating 7 apples on Sunday instead of 1 a day just isn't going to give you the same results! Now, I'm _not_ saying that you don't have to exercise and all you have to do to lose weight is to sleep it off. Exercise, strength training and physical activities in general are vital components of a permanent weight loss program. It's simply that if you don't sleep enough, you'll just be making it more difficult for yourself to lose the extra weight. There's no point in sabotaging your chances of weight loss success if it's a simple matter of making sure you get enough sleep every night, right? I mean, how much easier can it get? According to William Dement, Stanford University sleep researcher, adults need about 8 hours of sleep a night. Try your best to get this amount every day, and you'll reduce one more obstacle in your path to attaining your desired ideal weight. Simple idea, isn't it? Copyright 2005 Tracy Lee Tracy Lee is the owner of the "Weight Loss for Women Over 40" site. Get the latest news, tips & tricks that can help women over 40 to lose weight safely and permanently, and your complimentary copy of our Special Report "9 Little-Known Insider Weight Loss Secrets To Help Women Over 40 Make Those Extra Pounds Disappear" instantly here: http://www.weight-loss-for-women-over-40.com/insidersecrets/ This article is available for reprint in your ezine, website or e-book. You MUST agree not to make any changes to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included WITH A LIVE LINK back to our website. Otherwise reprint is prohibited.
MORE RESOURCES:
Men's Health
|
Women's
Health |
Children's
Health |
Elder
Health
Medicine - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How You Can Chew to Lose Weight There Is A Right Way to Chew!Chewing your food is the beginning of the whole digestion process. By chewing food, your mouth produces saliva which helps break it down. Weight Loss Doesnt Work Your brain has this really interesting system that is kind of like a search engine on the internet. It is called your RAS for short. Lose the Weight for GOOD - Nothing to Lose or EVERYTHING to Lose? Some of you will not like what I'm going to say, even though it is the truth. That may be where the issue of America's health problems lies. Dash Diet -- Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Hypertension is another name for high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force exerted on artery walls when the heart is beating and when it is at rest. Are Fruits Making You FAT? I want to make this perfectly clear, fruits are healthy and they are good for you. They are loaded with vitamins, fiber, and minerals. Proven Strategies to Effectively Burn Fat Out Of Your Body! Part 1 It is much safer to your long term health to reduce weight by natural means rather than taking medication that poses a series of health threatening side effects. In order to attack the problem of reducing weight we must identify the kind of bodies we have. The Secret to Safe Weight Loss The safe way to lose weight begins with a thorough checkup by your family physician. He can check for any health problems that might defeat a simple diet plan. Schoolchildren on South Beach diet As a part of a children's diet and health study, conducted by Dr. Agatston, six elementary schools from Osceola County, Florida were included in a diet program from September through May 2005. Close Kept Secrets to Weight Loss Lesson #4 How's the practicing going? Are you spending time each day to practice RET, EFT and affirmations? When you make yourself a priority, then everything else falls into place.When we lose our connection to God, to ourselves, then we get off track. Mysteries of Syndrome X Revealed "I've put on 40 pounds in one year!" "It doesn't matter how muchI workout, I can't lose weight." "My doctor must think I'meating pizzas in the closet. Weight Loss During Holidays: What to Do With Leftovers? If I Want to Lose Weight, What Can I Do With Leftovers?Okay, tell me if you've ever done this: It's Monday late afternoon. You decided yesterday that starting today you were going to 1) eat right, and 2) start to get regular exercise, and 3) give up all your bad habits. Trans Fat: Whats That!? Learning the jargon is part of the weight loss journey. Depending on the weight loss or healthy eating program you are on, you will learn lots of things about food and their ingredients. How to Gain More Pleasure While Losing Weight It's easy to lose sight of our goals, "Do I eat one of these delicious looking, fruit engorged, glossy, sugar coated lovelies or .. Mesotherapy vs. Cellulite For A Knockout In the battle to look good, there's a cosmetic treatment that is going a few rounds with cellulite and small fatty deposits. Mesotherapy is knocking out fat and rejuvenating skin in people who give it a try. Can You Still Buy Ephedra? With millions of people aiming for successful weight loss, many are still interested in diet pills and want to buy ephedra. Perhaps you are wondering. 7 Strategies To Stop Eating Junk Food! FACT: Obesity accounts for 300,000 deaths a year in the U.S. Quick Weight Loss Secrets The Secrets have been in our family recipes, some even date back as far as 3000 BC. For years our Ancient ancestors have been using natural herbs and spices to heal and cure, even to take the weight off. What are the Benefits of the Low-carb Diet? Are you one of those who hate dieting? Well, you are not alone, almost all of us hate the deprivation from food that dieting brings to us. Aside from the fact that our parents raise us to believe that food intake is necessary to keep us energetic, especially carbohydrates. You Can Lose Weight on a High Carbohydrate Diet A startling fact is that carbohydrates are not responsible for making people fat. Don't feel too badly though, you are not the only person who was sold on the idea that a high protein, low carb diet was the only way to lose weight. Avoid These Five Common Weight Loss Mistakes Mistake 1: Not changing your calorie plan as you lose weight. The fallacy of the "1200 calorie diet" plans and the like.
|
|
home | site map Men's Health | Women's Health | Children's Health | Elder Health Holistic Health | Healthy Heart | Cancer | Weight Loss Exercise & Fitness | Healthy Resources |
|
|
