Lack of Sleep and Gaining Weight
Joe Cannon, MS
www.Joe-Cannon.com
By now, just about everybody has heard that not getting enough sleep might cause us to gain weight. This, in turn, might result in more health problems. A few facts about lack of sleep and health:
• Americans today sleep about 80 fewer minutes per night than they did in 1950.
• Research suggests that people who sleep less than 5 hours a night are more prone to getting diabetes.
• People who sleep less than 7 hours a night tend to have higher BMI’s (Body Mass Index) which generally is associated with more health problems like heart disease, diabetes and the complications from these disorders.
The reasons for the apparent connection between lack of sleep and health problems are springing up all over the place and some gurus have even written books touting to have the answer. Some of these answers are quite complicated and include altered sugar metabolism and issues having to do with how the brain works. No need to go into those issues here.
I have often wondered however if there might be an easier explanation as to why lack of sleep causes weight gain and its associated health problems. A recent study may have supported my easy answer to this problem.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2009, vol 89 p 126) went like this:
• 11 men and women were kept in a lab for a month.
• For two weeks they could eat anything they wanted and were allowed to sleep for 8 ½ hrs a night.
• The other two weeks of the study was the same as before except that the people could now only sleep 5 ½ hours a night.
The Result: People ate an average of 220 more calories a day when they could only sleep 5 ½ hrs a night. Many of these calories were eaten after 7PM.
Bottom Line: For me, the take home message of this study is that people who sleep less, gain more weight simply because they are awake more and eating more calories. We can’t eat when we are sleeping (unless you sleepwalk!).
One of the basic rules of science goes like this: if you are faced with two answers to a problem, when in doubt, the simple answer is usually the correct answer. I could be completely wrong, but I have thought that eating more calories because we were awake longer was the answer all the time. It’s nice to have a little vindication.
Monday, March 02, 2009
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Your kidding me! You mean, if I'm sitting in front of the Boob Tube late at night, sucking down a large supreeeeem pizza and a big gulp, there is a possibility that I am going to put on weight??
ReplyDeleteJoe, sounds to easy to me. Must be something wrong with the study! I would do more research, like... more along the lines of: "I deserve this"... it is "MY" time... "what's wrong with indulging a bit now and then"... or both now and then.
People... wake up and learn from the Philly Man... not me. Ben Franklin.
"EARLY to bed and early to rise, makes a man, HEALTHY, wealthy and wise" He even through in money and smarts!
I know it isn't always easy, but there is help if you need it. Good luck....
Thats basically the conclusion I made - people eat more because they are awake more. Still, the idea about lack of sleep and gaining weight is a popular topic in the news, on the web etc. I also am awaiting more research on this topic
ReplyDeleteJoe
Hey Joe,
ReplyDeleteI've been active all my life, an avid mountain biker, football player, 7-years of tae kwon do, and more. I have been slightly overweight at times, but it was usually just a winter problem... until I was diagnosed with diabetes at age 36. I was in great shape beforehand and it wasn't simply a case of 'undiagnosed diabetes' ...when you have it, it's life altering in many ways besides weight.
I just want you and your readers to understand I did not 'earn' diabetes through lack of exercise and eating pizza. I worked and played hard and I'm still they kind of guy who has intensity of focus, determination, and willpower of steel. Now, I'm also a diabetic through no fault of my character and very overweight because I have to inject insulin --proven to cause weight gain. Characterizing diabetes as a disease brought upon by poor habits is wrong. Perpetuating this myth hurts general awareness and progress toward a cure.
I know you're response might be "I'm only going off what the data shows." Data can be interpreted incorrectly very easily. Think of statistical data this way: In spring and summer more ceiling fans are sold. In spring and summer more drownings occur. Does that mean ceiling fans increase your risk of drowning?
There are many kinds of diabetes other than simply type I and type II, and nobody deserves to have it.
Thanks for your words! I originally posted this because of the attention lack of sleep and getting diabetes was getting in the news. I wanted to point out a possible simple mechanism for the connection that might be true in most-but not all- cases. that being said diabetes is very complicated as you highlighted in your comments. Its true diabetes can be life-altering and I am glad you shared this with everybody because it's been my experience that people diagnosed with diabetes(type II) don't take it as seriously as they should.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your words very much!
Joe