It might seem to be the ultimate counter-intuitive fitness message you have ever received but recent research suggests that to lose more weight you need to probably get more sleep – even if it means you get less real “physical” activity during the day:
Short sleepers tended to have greater difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep. Tests found suffering sleepless nights can disrupt natural hormonal balances. This can reduce levels of the ‘hunger hormone’ leptin, causing people to eat more. [Daily Mail]
14 volunteer nurses at the Walter Reed Medical center in Washington D.C. were studied by analyzing their sleep activity with the help of arm bands that measured their vital signs. Amazingly, the short-sleepers had a significantly higher BMI than the long-sleepers even though the heavier nurses walked more during the day and expended more calories.
The science behind this apparent correlation is still being investigated:
Chief investigator Dr Arn Eliasson said: ‘Primarily, we want to know what is driving the weight differences, and why sleep and weight appear to be connected.’ Stress may also play a role in both reducing the length and quality of sleep and increasing eating and other weight gain behaviours. [Daily Mail]
It’s likely, the article says, that stress and disorganization among the sleepy individuals cause them to overeat leading to weight-gain even if they do more physical activity.
How many hours of sleep did you get last night?
