Smarter Sleeping 101

This story made it to the homepage of Digg today; “A good night’s sleep the key to staying slim.”  It’s an interesting read that details the results of a study done on short sleepers, regular sleepers, and those who slept too long (9 hours or more.)  Surprisingly, short sleepers gained the most weight, followed by those who slept too long.

“Short sleepers were 27 per cent more likely to become obese and long sleepers were 21 per cent more likely than those had an average night’s sleep.”

The article reiterates the points made in my earlier post about obesity and sleep (see: Insomnia Leads To Obesity, Obesity Leads To Insomnia.  Great.)

“The reason that the amount of sleep a person gets can govern their weight is because sleep affects hormones levels, especially those involved in appetite and feeling full after a meal.”

The study was conducted on 276 adults aged between 21 and 64 and the researchers took into account their weight at the beginning of the study.

Read the full article here.  What do you think?  Have you experienced weight gain due to your insomnia or oversleeping?

A new research study shows that people who don’t get enough sleep tend to weigh more. That’s bad news for many of us. Now we not only have to worry about not getting enough sleep, we have to worry about gaining weight because of it!

“”There is a dynamic balance between proper sleep and proper health. Sleep deprivation affects weight and a lot of other things. If you cheat sleep, there are a number of consequences, including affecting your hormones, appetite and mood,” said Dr. Patrick Strollo, medical director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Sleep Medicine Center.

Of 1,000 men and women studied at the Sleep Disorders Center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Virginia, they found that those who reported sleeping less tended to weigh more. The evidence may also be caused by the notion that obesity makes it harder to obtain a good night’s sleep. It’s a vicious cycle.

Read the rest of the story and detailed findings here.