Less Sleep Can Equal More Weight Gain

People from all areas of the globe, especially in America, are sleeping less. This lack of sleep mentality has pervaded the American society and seems to be getting worse. While we may accomplish more tasks on our "to-do" list, we may be adding more pounds to our waistline as a result.

Did you know that your hormones play a role in your weight loss and gain?
The hormones called Ghrelin and Leptin are the hormones that can either cause you to gain or lose weight. Ghrelin stimulates your appetite while leptin helps to control your appetite. Leptin is your friend as it tells you when you are full.

Guess what happens to these hormones when you don't get enough shut eye?
They are affected in a way that is disastrous to your waist line. When you don't get enough sleep your body responds by producing more appetite inducing Ghrelin hormone. This means that you will not only be tired, but have an increased appetite ast well.

Not only do you feel hungrier when you do not get enough sleep, it takes more to make you feel satiated because the amount of leptin in your system decreases. Also, research has shown that the more sleep deprived you are, the worse things are as far as weight gain is concerned.

If the production of ghrelin and leptin aren't convincing, then consider this: there is a correlation between obesity and sleep deprivation according to researchers at Stanford University and the University of Wisconsin. According to polls, 63% of Americans declare that they are not getting a full 8 hours of sleep every night. Amazingly, 65% of Americans are considered overweight or obese (Source: usatoday.com, 12/06/2004). Coincidence? Perhaps.

One would surmise that when you are awake you burn more calories. While it is true that an increased level of physical activity will burn more calories, staying up longer won't necessarily burn more calories. The reason is that when you stay up longer you tend to grab the nearest bag of pretzels, chips, and cookies to satisfy your undending hungry. More calories in means more pounds on your waistline. So you are better off sleeping.

Sleeping is a better option also because we burn 60-65% of all calories while we are getting shut eye. Since the smaller majority of calories are burned while awake we should get to bed. Note: There are exceptions to this rule.

No, most of us do not believe that sleep deprivation has anything to do with our weight. But, with the majority of Americans overweight and with a growing amount of research illustrating the link between obesity and sleep deprivation, people should start making shut eye a priority.

It is very possible that the reason why so many of us fail with our New Year's Resolutions to lose weight is because we continue to not get enough sleep night after night. If you are having trouble seeing results from your diet, ask yourself if you are getting enough sleep and find a way to get more. You will not only feel more refreshed, you may also feel slimmer in the process!