Stay Thin By Sleeping More
Forget the complicated diets. Just go to bed. Researchers from the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk conducted a very complex study to arrive at a stunningly simple conclusion: If you don't get enough sleep regularly, you will gain weight.
Treat yourself to adequate sleep each and every night, and you'll have a far greater likelihood of staying thin. The researchers found that as sleep time decreased, the body mass index increased, especially for people who were already obese, reports Reuters. (Body mass index or BMI is a measure of weight in relation to height. Those of normal weight have a BMI less than 25.)
And it doesn't take much sleep deprivation to make a big difference. On average, those of normal weight slept just 16 minutes more per day--or almost two hours a week--than the heavier participants. "We've put so much emphasis on diet and exercise that we've failed to recognize the value of good sleep," Fred Turek, a physician at Northwestern University, told Reuters. "In fact society emphasizes just the opposite," in work places where billed hours are crucial and long work days are common, he added.
The study: Led by Dr. Robert D. Vorona, the team interviewed 924 volunteers ranging in age from 18 to 91. Each participant completed a questionnaire asking about medical problems and sleep habits. The average participant had a BMI of 30, which is considered obese, and was 48 years old.
The results: Three factors affected total sleep time: being a night-shift worker, being a male, and being obese. The results were similar when the investigators excluded subjects with specific sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia, notes Reuters. Men slept an average of 27 minutes less than women, while overweight and obese participants slept less than those of normal weight. In general, the fatter people slept about 1.8 hours a week less than those of normal weight.
But why does too little sleep make us fat? The researchers speculate that sleep deprivation may cause metabolic and hormonal irregularities that would reduce the levels of leptin, a hormone involved in appetite regulation, which in turn encourages weight gain. However, it could also be as simple as more time awake means more time to eat.
Vorona cautions there is no cause-and-effect relationship between less sleep and obesity, but he does suggest that an extra 20 minutes of sleep per night seems to be associated with a lower BMI. And what a painless and easy way to stay thin!
The study findings were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.