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Sleep Less, Weigh More

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April 19, 2010
	Jo Wehage : Head Operations Ego

Sleep deprivation is certainly rampant in our culture and a new study indicates it may also lead to increased pounds. That’s right, those who yawn more, seem to be tossing something down their throat while those mouths are open.

In a recent meta-analysis of sleep reported by the National Institutes of Health, 30 different studies involving 634,511 men, women and children were analyzed. Researchers defined short sleep duration as less than 10 hours for children and less than five hours for adults.

Analysis of the studies showed a consistent link between short sleep duration and increased body mass index (BMI) and incidence of obesity in both children and adults. Researchers of the meta-analysis were reluctant to define the specific reasons why.

22% More Calories
Another article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition featured a study that followed the eating patterns of 12 men, who slept eight hours for two nights, then were restricted to four hours of sleep for two nights. After sleeping only four hours, the men reported stronger feelings of hunger, which led them to consume 22% more calories than they had eaten after eight hours of sleep.

It’s no secret our schedules lean towards the over-committed side. And our kids are now more scheduled than ever. And what about the starting bell for many of those middle and high school kids?

I recall reading once that kids who are entering puberty often require significantly more sleep than they did just two years prior. Do you know a lot of 14 year-olds who get 10 hours of sleep? No wonder I was a zombie my 9th-grade year.

Bad Bedfellows
The World Health Organization has declared obesity a global epidemic. Obesity in childhood is a cause of psychosocial problems including low self esteem that frequently continues into adulthood where it is a cause of major morbidity and mortality including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Compound this with national surveys in U.S. that shown a decline in self-reported sleep duration over the past 50 years by 1.5 to 2 hours and we get some very undesirable bedfellows.

What’s a Zombie to Do?
Perhaps we should schedule some time to look at our schedules. Is all that well-intended activity really having the results we’re looking for?

Are you and your kids calm, rested, well-adjusted, healthy and have a positive outlook on life? (If so – five gold stars for you!)

And what about us adults? How many activities, chores and stressful habits (paying bills, analyzing finances) do you do in the later evening hours? Do the television shows you watch result in a calm and peaceful mental state that prepares you for a good night’s sleep? And how do you handle the stress and depression in your life?

If only we could blame it on the resurgence of those blasted bed bugs. It does seem reasonable that it would be tough to sleep tight if you did indeed let the bed bugs bite.

I know many have found some relief from insomnia in a good book and a hot cup of tea. Others have had success with various herbs and nutrients like melatonin.

How about you… what secrets do you have to share with the restless bunch?