In her research, published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Marie-Pierre St-Onge of the New York Obesity Nutrition Research Centre at St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital found that sleep-deprived subjects consumed about 300 more calories per day than the well-rested subjects. Because it takes just 3,500 calories to add a pound to your body, St-Onge says, "if people kept that up for a while, it would add up really, really quickly".
Hormones are key.
Do sleep deficits actually cause people to become overweight? Does being overweight cause people to not get enough sleep? Do the two conditions share some underlying factor? Michael Breus knows those questions need answers. The prominent sleep-disorders specialist has published The Sleep Doctor's Diet Plan: Lose Weight Through Better Sleep, and spells out, by citing research, several means by which too little sleep could lead to weight gain. "On a physical level, the key things are hormones," Breus says. When you lack sleep, "your metabolism slows down. Your body tries to conserve energy" to carry you through the period of wakefulness. That triggers the release of cortisol, a hormone that the body secretes in response to stress and that boosts appetite: Your body senses it needs more energy, so it demands more food. Sleep deprivation also causes your body to release more ghrelin, the hormone that signals hunger, and less leptin, the hormone that tells your body it's full, Breus says. That hormone cocktail, combined with being awake for more hours a day, can send you snacking into the wee hours. And that's just the hormones, Breus says.
He says a healthful night's sleep — about 7.5 hours for most adults — allows you to enjoy five 90-minute sleep cycles, each including a restful rapid-eye-movement, or REM, phase. Those cycles include increasing amounts of REM as your sleep progresses, so losing one or two sets of REM at the end of your sleep time digs deep into your total REM time, Breus says. You burn more calories during REM than during other parts of the sleep cycle, and those unburnt calories can add up to weight gain, he says.
However, Jim Hill, director of the Colorado Nutrition Obesity Research Centre at the University of Colorado and a spokesperson for the American Society for Nutrition, urges caution. "I'm convinced [sleep deprivation and obesity] are linked, but science hasn't proven it yet. We have to be careful that we're not giving the wrong message. I don't think it's going to be as simple as you fix the sleep, you fix the obesity."
Recipe for a good night's sleep
This recipe from Michael Breus's book uses dairy's natural relaxant properties and an ideal carb-protein ratio to make you drowsy when consumed shortly before bedtime.
1 container low-fat vanilla yoghurt
1/2 ripe banana, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 graham cracker, crushed
Combine the yoghurt, banana, milk and vanilla extract in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a glass. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs.
Servings: 1
Nutrition per serving: 249 calories; 2.5g fat (1.5g saturated); 11mg cholesterol; 175mg sodium; 45g total carbohydrates (37g sugars); 1.5g fibre; 13g protein.
Keep your sleep schedule consistent. If your body knows when to go to bed, it does it, and does it well.
Exercise daily. Exercise helps reduce anxiety, a main cause of sleep loss. But stop four hours before lights out.
Keep a worry journal. Writing down your worries can reduce anxiety's grip.
Limit pre-bedtime activity. The time right before bed should be spent doing three things: the stuff you need to do to get ready for the next day; personal hygiene; and relaxing time.
Don't consume caffeine after 2pm. It can keep you awake for ten hours.
First thing in the morning, get 15 minutes of sunlight, the easiest way to reset your circadian rhythm, the internal system that regulates your sleep.
Reference: Health article
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