SLEEP MORE, WEIGH LESS

 

Sleep is natural periodic state of rest for the body and mind with closed eyes characterized by partial or complete loss of consciousness that can be reversed by sensory or other stimuli. While most people in our society see sleep as an element of weight gain, recent studies have revealed sleep deprivation to be an agent of weight gain. Sleeping well may not be all you need to control your weight and live healthy but it is one of the natural and simple tools that can be used to achieve this purpose.

Insufficient sleep augments the production of hunger hormone and blunts that of satiety hormone, these hormones are ghrelin and leptin respectively. This will result in an increased appetite level and reduced level of satisfaction. Thus when you don't sleep well, your body caves for more food than normal.

Also, sleep starvation decreases fat cells response to insulin. Insulin is crucial for regulation of energy storage. It also promotes the production of leptin from fat cells. This insensitivity promotes weight gain and type two diabetes.

Not getting enough sleep slows down activities in the frontal lobe of the brain where rational decisions are made. On the other hand, motivates the hypothalamus and amygdale-parts of the brain responsible for emotions and appetite. In a study published by Dr Matthew Walker a professor of psychology and neuroscience in University of California. 23 healthy men and women were recruited and assigned to two different regimes, each separated by a week. On one occasion the subjects had normal night rest-roughly eight hours and woke up to a small breakfast of toast and strawberry jam. The subjects then looked at 80 pictures of a variety of foods and were asked to rate how strongly they wanted them while an imagining machine measured activities in the brain. On another occasion, the subjects followed same routine but this time instead of sleeping, they stayed awake through the night. They were given snacks to offset any extra calories they burned while staying awake.

The research showed that when bleary-eyed and sleep deprived, they strongly preferred the food choices that were highest in calories. The sleepier they felt, the more they wanted the caloric rich food. Brain scans showed that on the morning after the subjects' sleepless night, the heavily caloric foods produced intense activity in amygdale and there was reduced activity in the cortical areas of the frontal lobe.

In another work by Dr Kenneth Wright in University of Colorado participants who didn't get enough sleep for five days consumed more carbohydrate and gained nearly 2 pounds. While staying awake at night, people eat more than what they need to cover up for the energy cost of staying awake. Lack of sleep disrupts how our brains respond to food. It is thought that a substance adenosine plays a role. Adenosine is a by-product of metabolism, it disrupts the functioning of the brain and promotes sleepiness when it accumulates in the brain. This substance is cleared from the body during sleep. In a sleep starved state, it accumulates and interferes with communication between networks in the brain. How much sleep do you need? in general, most young adults need 7-9 hours of sleep at night. Some can do with less while others may need more. Sleep requirements decreases with increasing age. Children require more sleep while older people need less sleep.

Sleep deprivation affects almost every process in the body. To know how this goes well with you, weigh yourself in periods of healthy sleep starvation and do same in periods of healthy sleep. Good sleeping habit will help you control your weight or it will at least not make you add more weight.