Inadequate Sleep Increases Appetite

How often do you wake up and feel really rested? Probably not often! The typical city girl or guy works too much and may play too hard! The ever growing field of technology makes it even worse as our brains are in constant overdrive mode.  The result … inadequate sleep. Not only does this make you feel exhausted, recent studies have shown that it can make you eat more the next day (carb and fat cravings). A whopping 300 calories more! And of course, we all know that eating more will lead to weight gain. Read on to learn the scary facts.

Think about it… how do you feel the next day if you didn’t get enough sleep? Your body likely feels exhausted and your brain is in slow motion. Chances are slim that you will make your 6 pm spinning class. But what about your appetite? I personally am ravenous and have a strong craving for carbs … chocolate, bread, snacks, etc. This study shows I’m not alone.

Inadequate sleep leads to increased food intake
Medical experts have known for years that inadequate sleep can lead to weight gain. One theory is that when you don’t sleep enough, your body secretes more ghrelin (a hunger hormone) and less leptin (a hormone that tells you to stop eating)  A new study has given more details:  people who don’t get enough sleep eat an extra 300 calories a day! And the favorite food seems to be ice cream.  

The study
Researchers at Columbia University set out to find out if people actually consume more calories when they were sleep deprived vs. well-rested.  The study subjects slept 4 hours a night vs. 9 hours a night. Check out this link for more details on the study. The findings were reported at a recent  American Heart Association meeting in Atlanta:

•Participants consumed an average of 296 calories more when they were sleep-deprived compared with when they were well-rested.

•When women were sleep-deprived they ate an average 329 more calories a day vs. when they were well-rested; men ate 263 more calories.

•Overall, most of the extra calories came from high-fat foods such as ice cream and fast foods.

•When women were sleep-deprived, they ate an average of about 31 more fat grams a day. Men’s fat intake didn’t climb that much.

 Sleep and health
Other studies have revealed that people who consistently fail to get enough sleep are at an increased risk of chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. And of course, weight gain. The extra 300 calories consumed a day in the above study could lead to a 30 pound weight gain a year. And even if you aren’t sleeping as little as 4 hours a night (maybe 5-6), it is still likely that this lack of sleep will be affecting your appetite, weight and health.

Bottom line: get your ZZZ’s
The majority of my clients who are seeing me for weight control or diabetes do not get enough sleep. I would strongly urge to work on your sleep habits. I know that I struggle with this same issue!  For more info on sleep and disease risk, check out this link .

Stay tuned for some tips on how to improve your sleep!