Are Sleep and Weight Connected?

April 23, 2008 by Russ Turley · 3 Comments
Filed under: Fat Loss, General, Obesity 

GarfieldSo I’m reading the latest copy of Oprah Magazine. Don’t judge me. It’s open to this article called Why You Really Need Beauty Rest. Take a look at question number 4 on the sleep quiz:

“If you’re watching your weight, it’s better to get a full night’s sleep than it is to wake up early to work out. True/False”

The answer is True according to the article. A study was cited in the explanation:

“In a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology, women who slept seven hours or more put on less weight over 16 years than women who slept less, even if the other women exercised. Those who slept only six hours a night were 12 percent more likely to put on more than 30 pounds; if the women slept five hours or less, they were 32 percent more likely to gain that much. Other studies have found that lack of sleep impacts hormones that regulate appetite (ghrelin and leptin) and that a higher BMI is proportionally linked to less sleep. One solution is to set the alarm so that you get your full night of sleep and schedule your exercise for later in the day.”

I’ve blogged in the past about sleep and how it’s important for weight loss and maintenance. Below you’ll find a few of the posts I’ve made on the subject. But when I saw that there was a study in a medical journal, I had to go read it. A medical study that’s going to tell me that if I get more sleep, it will help me lose weight. Bring it on. Here’s the conclusion from the abstract of the article.

“These data suggest that short sleep duration is associated with a modest increase in future weight gain and incident obesity. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which sleep duration may affect weight.”

Graph of Weight Vs. Sleep

Notice in the graph above that the average weight of the participants of this study went up, across the board. I think the author of the article in Oprah magazine misstated, what I think, is the point of the study. Getting more sleep is not going to lose you any weight. It’s not a magic pill for weight loss, but it is one more weapon in your arsenal fighting the battle of the bulge. Getting a good night’s sleep needs to be combined with exercise and a healthy diet to make an impact on your body.

Read the article for yourself and think about getting at least 7 hours of sleep and making rest a part of your healthy lifestyle.

Thanks Oprah.

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