Lack of Sleep Strongly Linked to Obesity

The inability to sleep at night weighs heavy on one's health, as it may increase the risk of developing obesity.

The recommended amount of sleep per night is seven to nine hours; however, most Americans average somewhere around six. Researchers found that the further away one is from getting the recommended hours of sleep, the higher their risk of obesity is.

Lack of Sleep and the Obesity Connection

    * Less than four hours: 73 percent risk
    * Five hours of sleep: 50 percent risk
    * Six hours of sleep: 23 percent risk

A question that plagued researchers: How could more sleep lower someone’s chances of obesity if fewer calories are burned while one is resting? The answer can be found in the concept of chronic sleep deprivation, which is the recurring inability to sleep.  This condition often results in serious medical illnesses such obesity, heart attack and stoke.  Thus, a link was discovered between sleep and neural pathways that regulate food intake.

If one is lacking the optimal amount of sleep, their Leptin levels drop. Leptin is a blood protein that suppresses appetite and affects how the brain senses when the body is full.  Also, sleep deprivation raises levels of Grehlin, which is a substance that increases one’s urge to eat. Thus, the less sleepy one is the less hungry they are.

St. Petersburg Times November 17, 2004, Link to article