Research has shown possible links between quality sleep and keeping slim and fit.
Obesity is an increasing problem in the developed countries of the world and some scientists think that the modern lifestyle of browsing the internet into the small hours, late night movies on TV, being hooked on video games amongst other modern day distractions are depriving people of normal sleep patterns resulting in the rise in the numbers of overweight people.
The body produces two hormones that affect our desire for food, ‘leptin’ that is produced in fat cells signals the brain that we are full while ‘ghrelin’ produced in the gastrointestinal tract tells us that we are hungry. It seems that one counterbalances the other.
Researchers believe that lack of sufficient and regular sleep, in other words quality sleep, can affect the balance between the two hormones leading to a desire to eat.
Levels of ‘leptin’ fall while ‘ghrelin’ levels rise so that the less you sleep the more likely you are to overeat and gain unnecessary weight.
Eight to nine hours sleep is the average regular nightly requirement for most of us depending on our genes, significantly less may cause weight and health problems.
However it is not as simple as that because some people suffer from a sleep related ailment known as ‘apnea’.
Even though sufferers think that they have had a good 8-9 hours sleep, they may stop breathing for up to a minute and for up to a hundred times a night or more. The result is that those afflicted wake up tired and listless.
Apnea sufferers are more likely to be overweight although they have significantly higher levels of ‘leptin’. When their ‘apnea’ is treated they are able to lose weight despite their level of ‘leptin’ dropping.
The researchers think that this may be due to renewed energy levels and activity as a result of uninterrupted deep sleep.
Other studies suggests that the modern tendency to sleep less can lead to a variety of diseases such as colon and breast cancers, heart disease and diabetes.
However there is a strong body of opinion amongst researchers and medical experts who argue that despite the change in sleep patterns, people are living longer and healthier than ever before.
Our advice is to stick to at least 7-8 hours sleep every night and if you continue to wake up tired and with little energy and believe that you are overweight, go see your medical practitioner and talk to him or her about the possibility that you are suffering from ‘apnea’.
Better to be safe than sorry!
