Effects of Sleep on Weight Loss

Hi Willie

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Title: Effects of Sleep on Weight Loss
Word Count: 954
Author: Donovan Baldwin
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appreciated - send to don@xtramoney4me.net.

Best regards

Donovan Baldwin
http://realworldbenefits.com

Effects of Sleep on Weight Loss
Hi folks! I'd like for you to meet leptin and ghrelin.

No, those are not refugee orcs from "Lord of the Rings".
Leptin and ghrelin are hormones, and research is indicating
that, while they didn't have a role in the movie, they DO
seem to have a role in weight gain and weight loss.

Two studies, one at the University of Chicago in Illinois
and the other at Stanford University in California,
indicated that sleep deprivation tended to alter the levels
of these hormones in such a way that they did not
efficiently fulfill their normal functions of controlling
feelings of hunger and fullness. The short answer from
these studies appears to be that being short on sleep,
generally less than 8 hours a night, interferes with the
work of these hormones, and that people getting less than 8
hours a night tended to be fatter than those who got the
appropriate amount of sleep.

Here's a couple of important points:

1. Just getting more sleep is not the only answer to the
weight loss problem. While getting more sleep can improve
the body's ability to function in many ways, exercise and
proper nutrition should still be components of any weight
loss program. In fact, looking at it another way, some
researchers have opined that getting a good night's sleep
might help some people feel more energetic and this may
cause them to become more active as well, thus aiding in
weight loss and overall feelings of well-being. One
researcher also pointed out that those short on sleep may
resort to high calorie, empty carbohydrate snacks and meals
to help them get through the day.

2. The number of hours of sleep may be important, but so
is the quality of that sleep. For example, sleep apnea, a
condition which tends to be more common in those who are
overweight, can interfere with the quality of the person's
sleep, so that even after what seems like 8 hours of sleep,
they still are tired and worn out.

SLEEP, CORTISOL, AND WEIGHT LOSS

Cortisol is another hormone associated with appetite and
weight loss and weight gain. Surely you have seen the ads
in which it is referred to as "nasty". In actuality, it is
nothing of the sort any more than blood is "nasty". It
serves a purpose, in fact several purposes, but it is out
of place in many of our modern situations, and the over
production of cortisol can influence weight gain, and
hamper attempts at weight loss.

The problem is that high levels of cortisol tend to help
people pack on pounds. An elevation of cortisol commonly
occurs when a person is physically or psychologically
stressed. It is not enough that modern society produces a
string of stressors which tend to kick the body into
cortisol production mode. This is partly due to the body's
inability to distinguish between a caveman being attacked
by a bear, and a modern office worker being attacked by a
"bear" of a boss! The roar of an attacking lion can
produce an effect similar to the honking of angry drivers
in road rage situation...particularly if you are the target.

Failure to get the proper amount, and quality, of sleep
tends to increase the production of cortisol, contributing
to the body's mistaken attempt to compensate for what it
sees as an attack. Most real attacks would require vast
expenditures of energy which would need to be replaced, so,
cortisol signals the body to ingest large quantities of
food to help replace the missing energy and perform repairs
to the body. The problem is that if no energy has been
expended, and you are merely suffering from lack of sleep,
the body is going to get the same message as if you had
escaped an attack, and the food taken in will just be
stored as fat rather than being used to replace missing
energy stores.

Lack of sleep also tends to produce its own state of
agitation, which can induce the production of cortisol,
and, to make things worse, worrying about your tiredness
and inability to get a good night's sleep can initiate its
own cycle of stress, thus...you guessed it, encouraging the
body to produce more cortisol, which makes you want to eat
more...

While this seems like a vicious cycle, and it is, it is not
unbreakable. No one immediate action is likely to have you
waking up tomorrow fit as a fiddle and twenty pounds
lighter, but you can take steps to slow down the hamster
wheel and eventually get off for good.

Plan to get more sleep. Plan to get more exercise. Plan
to eat a healthier diet. Once you have planned, however,
you must implement these steps. Do not expect to change
everything all at once. Make a small change here, and,
once that has taken hold, make a small change there.
Trying to do everything all at once sets you up for failure
and creates another stress in your life at the very time
you are trying to reduce stress.

Go to bed a little earlier. Turn the TV off sooner. Learn
a little bit about meditation. Take a walk. Lift that bag
of sugar a couple of extra times (in each hand) before you
put it in the cupboard. Park a few feet further away from
your office or the grocery store than you did last time.
You learned to walk one step at a time, and you fell down a
lot, but you didn't let it bother you and you kept on until
you finally achieved your goal and tottered a few feet on
your own (and slept like...well...a baby). Don't let this
get in your way either.

----------------------------------------------------
Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer. He is a graduate
of the University of West Florida, a member of Mensa, and
retired from the U. S. Army. Find more weight loss
information at:
http://cinch-weightloss.web-home.ws/