Less sleep equals more body fat

Added 14.10.2010

Cutting back on sleep will have you packing on the weight

On a diet? Don't expect results if you are sleeping less than seven hours a night, say studies. Since we burn fewer caloris while asleep, we would assume the more we sleep, the less weight we lose. But in fact the opposite is true: amazingly, cutting back on sleep reduces body fat loss by 55%.

And sleep also determines the type of fat we lose. In the study, people how slept 7.5 or more hours a night lost more than half of their weight from fat. On the other hand, people who slept for 5.5 or less hours only lost one-fourth of their weight from fat. The other three-fourths of the weight lost was fat-free body mass - water, proteins and minerals - the type of substances you don't want to be losing. In other words, people who sleep less lose the wrong king of weight, if they lose any weight at all that is. A previous study discovered that people who slept four or less hours a night were 73% more likely to be obese and those who slept five or less hours were 50% more likely to be obese. Even sleeping six or less hours a night placed people at a 23% increased risk of obesity.

Why does sleeping more help you lose weight?

The reason why getting adequate sleep can help you lose weight is because of, you guessed it, hormones. One hormone in particular is to blame: ghrelin. Ghrelin controls hunger and fat storage. When we don't get adequate sleep, our ghrelin levels increase, which stimulates hunger, lowers energy expenditure and increases fat retention. Some researchers believe this may be a survival mechanism from Prehistoric times: "sleeping less could serve as a trigger to the body to increase food intake and store fat."
Whatever the reason why ghrelin increases when we sleep less, the end result is the same: less sleep equals less weight loss and more body fat - and who wants that! FYI, stress also interferes with your sleep patterns and hormones and can prevent weight loss.

Dr. Bo Nielsen's comments:

What else can you do to lose weight effectively and safely?

• Try to get at least seven hours of sleep a day. If stress is part of the problem, try a stress supplement like Doctor's Natural Anti-Stress.
• Complement a healthy diet with a natural weight loss supplement which will curb your appetite, increase your sense of fullness and prevent fat from being stored in your body. Try Doctor's Natural Metabolism+.
• Always take quality, high strength vitamins and minerals to cover any nutrient insufficiencies you may have.

References:

• Buy Weight Loss Supplements