Insomnia - Lack of sleep can lead to weight gain, diabetes.
Do you sleep well each night. Do you get your 8 hours and awake feeling refreshed...ready to take on the challenges of the day?
If you answered no to these questions then you are far from alone.
- It is estimated that insomnia and poor sleep affect approximatley 1 in 8 of us at any given time.
- We are sleeping on average 20% less than we did 100 years ago.
- 1 in 3 people suffer from some form of insomnia in their lifetime
- There seems to be a strong hereditary link amongst insomnia sufferers
- There is a strong increase in children suffering from insomnia realted issues
What has been found is that poor sleep and sleep deprivation leads to metabolic and endocrine imbalances.
In fact it was found that 4 nights of shortenend interupted sleep gave rise to
- an increase of approximately 25% in insulin ressistance - a significant component in Type 2 Diabetes
- as well as to decreased leptin levels (which influences hunger regulation) to the point where we feel as if we are missing out on 1000 calories less than actually consumed. That is we are left feeling hungry and are liable to overeat by 1000 calories!
Clinical Research
In her study, Van Cauter demonstrated lack of slow-wave or Delta-rhythm sleep affects metabolism and appetite to such an extent that previously healthy 20 year old blood sugar and insulin parameters can reach pre-diabetic levels in as little as 4 nights.
Van Cauter also showed the bodies of sleep deprived study participants produced less of the appetite-suppressing hormone called leptin that tells the body ít is not hungry.
In fact men who were allowed only four hours of sleep per night displayed a dip in leptin that was equivalent to that seen in people underfed by a thousand calories a day for three days.
In other words, the leptin signal was telling the men's bodies that they were short about a thousand calories. That misleading signal could cue the body to slow metabolism, overstimulate appetite, and increase fat deposition, This can lead to overeating and weight gain!
In other words, the leptin signal was telling the men's bodies that they were short about a thousand calories. That misleading signal could cue the body to slow metabolism, overstimulate appetite, and increase fat deposition, This can lead to overeating and weight gain!
What does this mean?
All this reasearch means that mum was quite correct - it is important to get our 8 hours sleep per night. A good nights sleep is vital for good health and in particular for regulating our weight and assisting with our ability to maintian good blood sugar levels.
How can we get a good nights sleep?
One of the first principles of good sleep involves the practice of good sleep hygeine.
Good sleep hygeine involves a group of rules that we should follow to develop good sleep habits.
These includes developing a sleep routine
- going to bed at the same time each night
- have a pre sleep routine that allows your body and mind to slow down as it readies for sleep
- using the bedroom and bed for sleep only (ie no TV in bed)
- avoiding stimulants like coffee, chocolate, heavy exercise for 2 hours prior to sleep
- exercising for 30 minutes each day but not within 4 hours of going to sleep
See below for more information.
If you would like to know more on getting a good nights sleep you may want to download our Getting a Good Night's Sleep Fact Sheet from our Website.
Reference:
J Adolesc Health. 2008 Mar;42(3):294-302. Epub 2007 Dec 21.
Chronic insomnia and its negative consequences for health and functioning of adolescents: a 12-month prospective study.
Roberts RE, Roberts CR, Duong HT.
Division of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
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