For decades, we've been taught to think about weight in relation to physical activity: regular exercise is the key to maintaining a healthy body weight. However, as scientists understand obesity evolved, it became clear that the relationship between exercise and weight is not as simple (and weight loss is not as simple as “calories in, calories outIn fact, research shows that, as counterintuitive as it may sound, inaction can be as important as going to the gym when it comes to achieving a healthy body weight and preventing obesity. More precisely, we are talking about how important it is to get a good night's sleep. sleep.
A growing body of evidence is exploring the powerful connections between sleep deprivation and obesity prevalence. In fact, many people increasingly view sleep deprivation and obesity as parallel epidemicssays a clinical sleep specialist Terry CralleRN, a Tip for Better Sleep representative. The relationship between sleep and weight is complex, but some things are clear: “Sleep deprivation will lead to decreased metabolism, increased appetite, and decreased physical activity,” says Cralle.
Before you say, “Sleep deprivation is not about me,” the term has no meaning. only applicable to people who typically stay up until 2am watching TV and then get up at 6am for work (though it definitely makes a difference). It could also mean you're chronically falling short of the seven to nine hours of sleep recommended for adults. While going to bed an hour or two later may not seem like such a big deal the next day, missing just one or two hours of sleep over the course of weeks or months has been shown to have a measurable impact on our waistlines.
Research has shown that people who sleep less than seven hours a night (about one third of Americansaccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), are more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI) and are at higher risk of obesity than people who sleep the recommended number of hours. Other studies have shown that people who sleep less than six hours at night are at increased risk type 2 diabetes. It's also important to note: sleep deprivation isn't just about the amount of sleep you get; it could also mean that quality Some of your sleep is bad because, for example, you often wake up because your partner is snoring, or because you're stressed at work, or because you're a parent of small children.
Whatever the reasons why someone doesn't achieve enough Zs, there are several reasons why sleep deprivation makes weight control more difficult. For starters, “chronic sleep deprivation can lower your resting metabolic rate, meaning we burn fewer calories at baseline,” explains Dr. John Carterdirector of the MetroHealth Sleep Medicine Center in Cleveland. However, tired people usually have higher calorie content than people who sleep longer. As you may have noticed, the day after a late night, disrupted sleep patterns often lead to incessant snacking and cravings for high-calorie, carbohydrate-rich foods, which makes us feel (temporarily) more optimistic. “When we're tired, we're more likely to reach for sugary foods and drinks to get a quick boost of energy,” says Dr. Christine Wren-FieldingProfessor of Surgery at New York University School of Medicine, Director of the NYU Langone Weight Management Program, and Chief of Bariatric Surgery. Despite increased food intake, our energy expenditure may be lower on fatigued days; when our energy balance is out of sync, it can cause excess calories to be stored as fat.
