If you’ve tried to lose weight, you know it’s not easy. But for some of us, it’s even
more difficult. Some dieters who are eating less and exercising more still have a
hard time dropping those extra pounds. Why? One answer may lie in their sleep habits.
The typical response is usually “terrible,” “not enough,” “I’m up all night,” “I have no
time,” or “I’m always tired.” So when I work out a weight-loss plan for these patients,
I stress that they get enough sleep. Recent scientific studies show a strong relationship
between sleep deprivation and weight gain, even though we don’t know exactly why
this occurs. Here are some findings:
* People who slept less than six hours a night experienced an increase in their
body mass index (height-to-weight ratio) more than those who slept seven to eight
hours.
* Women who slept five hours a day, or less, gained more weight than those who
slept seven hours a day, according to a 16-year study.
* People who slept less than eight hours a day had larger increases in body fat
than those who slept more.
* People who slept less than six hours a night experienced an increase in their
body mass index (height-to-weight ratio) more than those who slept seven to
eight hours.
* Women who slept five hours a day, or less, gained more weight than those who
slept seven hours a day, according to a 16-year study.
* People who slept less than eight hours a day had larger increases in body fat than
those who slept more.
How does sleep affect our bodies?
Our bodies’ major activities, including temperature regulation, hormone secretion,
and brain chemistry production, run on a 24-hour cycle. When our bodies aren’t in a
regular sleep pattern (think jet lag), hormones that regulate whether we feel full or
hungry get out of whack, so all of our normal cues for eating are altered. An
undiagnosed medical illness might also cause poor sleep habits. Someone with
an underactive thyroid gland, for instance, will feel fatigued and gain weight. And
someone who suffers from sleep apnea will wake up repeatedly during the night.
How does sleep affects eating?
When we’re tired, or feeling fatigued, we don’t always make the healthy food choices:
* We’ll snack right before we go to bed to relax.
* We’ll have a quick pick-me-up snack during the day, when we’re feeling
sleepy or fatigued.
* We won’t stick with our healthy eating plan. When we’re tired and sleep
deprived, we tend to make poor food choices, and rely on higher calorie
comfort food.
How to catch more zzz’s?
We live in a hectic world with many responsibilities. Trying to juggle work, family,
chores, and recreation, it’s no wonder many of us think: “I can’t waste time
sleeping.” We also live in stressful times, and often our mental stress prevents
sleep, even when we set aside seven to eight hours. This is a real double whammy
for weight loss: we eat to relieve stress, but also can’t sleep because we’re too
stressed out!
Many people also have physical problems that awaken them from sleep, including
sleep apnea and diabetes. (Diabetics often make several trips to the bathroom
during the night.) Sleep apnea, often seen in overweight and obese people, is a
condition of waking up repeatedly throughout the night. Often the person doesn’t
realize that he’s waking during the night, but he’ll feel tired in the morning. Significant
snoring usually accompanies this condition. So if you’re tired and gaining weight, it’s
important to see your doctor to make sure you don’t medical problems.
While the obvious solution is to sleep eight hours each night, the real-life answer is
not so easy. Here some steps you can take to help regain some control and minimize
the likelihood that lack of sleep will sabotage your weight-loss efforts:
* Try to set a regular schedule. Eat regularly — at least three to four times each day.
Aim for seven hours of sleep. Creating some structure in your life. And make sleep a
priority.
* Don’t use food to “wake you up.” Take a power nap between 15 and 20 minutes instead.
Always think before you eat and make a healthy choice. Avoid junk food, which may be
comforting, but it won’t give you a metabolic pick-me-up. If you feel like you need an energy
boost, eat a piece of fresh fruit, a half asandwich made with lean protein (such as turkey,
chicken or tuna), somelow-fat cheese or low-fat yogurt, a 100-calorie protein bar,
or a 100-calorie pack of crackers.
* Address your stress. Separate mental fatigue (stress) from physical fatigue. Try
to reduce your stress levels by taking a 20-minute walk, and increasing your activity
of daily living. This can help promote a more restful sleep. Wear a pedometer and monitor
your activity. Aim for 10,000 steps daily for optimal weight management. In the beginning,
set a more realistic goal of at least 5,000 steps a day.
* See your doctor to rule out any medical illnesses contributing to lack of sleep and weight gain.
Madelyn Fernstrom’s Bottom Line: While we cannot always get a full eight hours of sleep every
night, chronic sleep deprivation (for any reason) can be a major sabotage to losing weight and
keeping it off. If you are committed to long term weight loss — or just weight stability – examine
your sleep patterns. Getting more sleep can make a big difference in your waist line.
Many people also have physical problems that awaken them from sleep, including sleep
pnea and diabetes. (Diabetics often make several trips to the bathroom during the night.)
Sleep apnea, often seen in overweight and obese people, is a condition of waking up
repeatedly throughout the night. Often the person doesn’t realize that he’s waking during
the night, but he’ll feel tired in the morning. Significant snoring usually accompanies this
condition. So if you’re tired and gaining weight, it’s important to see your doctor to make
sure you don’t medical problems.
While the obvious solution is to sleep eight hours each night, the real-life answer is not
so easy. Here some steps you can take to help regain some control and minimize the
likelihood that lack of sleep will sabotage your weight-loss efforts:
* Try to set a regular schedule. Eat regularly — at least three to four times each day.
Aim for seven hours of sleep. Creating some structure in your life. And make sleep a
priority.
* Don’t use food to “wake you up.” Take a power nap between 15 and 20 minutes instead.
Always think before you eat and make a healthy choice. Avoid junk food, which may be
comforting, but it won’t give you a metabolic pick-me-up. If you feel like you need an energy
boost, eat a piece of fresh fruit, a half a sandwich made with lean protein (such as
turkey,chicken or tuna),some low-fat cheese or low-fat yogurt, a 100-calorie protein bar,
ora100-calorie pack of crackers.
* Address your stress. Separate mental fatigue (stress) from physical fatigue. Try
to reduce your stress levels by taking a 20-minute walk, and increasing your
activity of daily living. This can help promote a more restful sleep. Wear a pedometer
and monitor your activity. Aim for 10,000 steps daily for optimal weight
management. In the beginning, set a more realistic goal of at least 5,000
steps a day.
* See your doctor to rule out any medical illnesses contributing to lack of sleep
and weight gain.
Bottom Line: While we cannot always get a full eight hours of sleep every night, chronic
sleep deprivation (for any reason) can be a major sabotage to losing weight and keeping it
off. If you are committed to long term weight loss — or just weight stability – examine your
sleep patterns. Getting more sleep can make a big difference in your waist line.
Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., CNS,is the founder and director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Weight Management Center.contributor to Today'health
No comments:
Post a Comment