By: Mark JS Miller, PhD, MBA, FACN, CNS
Most people can appreciate that getting a restful and complete night’s sleep is a great preparation for the day, leaving you healthy and able to manage stress better. Now, however, there is emerging data that suggests that a lack of sleep may be linked to obesity and a myriad of other health conditions. Getting good, quality sleep is vital to our health.
How big is the problem? Current estimates are that 40 million Americans suffer from chronic, long-term sleep disorders with an additional 20 million with occasional sleep problems. Most adults need eight hours of sleep to function well.
Chronic lack of sleep or sleep disorders has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. For the purpose of this discussion let’s just focus on obesity and weight management, although we do appreciate that these conditions are interwoven with similar drivers.
Society is changing. We live in a 24/7 world where smart phones are used for alarms but we still answer emails and texts at times when we should be sleeping. We are linked to the cyberworld and this can be disruptive.
And the problem is not just for adults. Kids with poor sleep habits may be 4.2 times more likely to be obese than those with adequate sleep. Unhealthy blood profiles were linked with obesity can be seen in sleep-deprived individuals.
So what are the mechanisms by which sleep deprivation could drive excessive weight gain? The consensus is that the part of the endocrine system that regulates appetite in the brain becomes distrupted. Levels of two hormones – ghrelin and leptin – which regulate hunger and satiety, are out of balance. When the body craves sleep it perceives this as hunger, and with that leptin levels drop and ghrelin spikes. This leads to overeating and may also affect the propensity to store energy as fat tissue. One could also propose that wakefulness leads to opportunity – raiding the refrigerator and pantry when one should be resting. Are the best choices made when one is midnight snacking?
Circadian rhythms, our biological clock, is also linked to levels of insulin and glucagon. Hormones that are associated with glucose regulation and elements associated with the increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Cortisol is another hormone that can be affected. High cortisol can promote fat deposition and sleep deficit is associated with higher cortisol levels as a form of stress response.
“Sleep rock thy brain” – William Shakespeare, Hamlet
So sleep is complex, and adequate sleep has important health implications. Take control of your sleep, change habits that compromise sleep and as necessary choose natural sleep aids to restore your pattern to gain control of your health – including your weight.
Suggested Reading:
1. Aldabal L and BaHammam AS. The Open Respiratory Medicine Journal 2011: 5, 31-43. Metabolic, endocrine, and immune consequences of sleep deprivation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3132857/?tool=pubmed
2. Schwarz NA et al., Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism. 2011, doi:10,1155/201/237932. A review of weight management control strategies and their effects on the regulation of hormonal balance.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3147122/?tool=pubmed
3. Katano S et al., Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy 2011:4, 119-125. Relatiosnhip between sleep deprivation and clustering of metabolic syndrome diagnostic components.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3107694/?tool=pubmed
