Author: J. Lee Miller
Many Americans may also suffer from one or more sleep disorders. The same poll found that 74 percent of respondents experienced at least one symptom of a sleep disorder a few nights per week or more. Fifty-eight percent reported experiencing at least one sign of insomnia a few nights a week.
Insomnia is the most common of 60 or more sleep disorders. Insomnia includes difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or going back to sleep when you awaken early. Insomnia may be temporary or chronic. It’s estimated that about one out of three people have insomnia at some point in their lives. Insomnia can result from a variety of causes.1
An article in the Oct. 23, 1999 issue of The Lancet found that lack of sleep had a harmful effect on carbohydrate metabolism and endocrine function. Specifically, glucose tolerance appeared to be lower in people deprived of shut-eye.
Another study - this one appearing in the Aug. 16, 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association - found that lower amounts of REM (deep or slow-wave) sleep seemed to be associated with higher evening cortisol levels. The stress hormone cortisol causes the release of the fat-storage hormone insulin.
A recent study, conducted by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the Obesity Research Center, suggests a link between weight gain and the number of hours of sleep each night.
Other factors, such as physical activity, age, and depression, to name a few, made no difference to the weight gain.
It may all have to do with two hormones - leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite, and grehlin, a hormone that increases food intake and is thought to play a role in long-term regulation of body weight. Sleep deprivation lowers the levels of leptin and raises levels of grehlin.
Anything less than the eight to nine hours of sleep we need is asking for trouble. It could lead to a loss of physical and mental health, to poor memory, poor coordination, and now to weight gain.
Here are some tips from the National Sleep Foundation that could help you improve your sleep:
*If you have difficulty sleeping at night, don't nap during the day.
*Maintain a regular exercise schedule, but don't work out within two to three hours of going to bed.
*Avoid stimulants (e.g. caffeine and nicotine) and alcohol in the late afternoon and evening because they can either delay or interrupt your sleep.
*Drink fewer fluids before bedtime.
*Don't smoke.
*Unwind in a warm bath or find some other ritual to relax you before going to bed.
*Go to bed and wake up at regular times every day.
*If you find yourself tossing and turning, get up and read or listen to relaxing music before trying again.
*Sleep in a comfortable bed and quiet room at a comfortable temperature.
*Use appropriate lighting.
*Do not use your bedroom for work or other activities that are not related to sleep.
*Avoid large meals close to bedtime.
If these or other behavioral changes fail to produce the desired results, or you think your sleep deprivation may be related to anxiety or depression, talk to your physician.
1 Eston Dunn, BSE, BFA, AFAA, ACE, ACSM
ORFEU BUXTON, PhD: Habitual sleep restriction could play a very important role in increasing risk for diabetes later in life, especially if maintained over many years and decades, much like a sedentary lifestyle or poor eating habits. It's not something that catches up with you in a week or in two weeks, but it's something that over decades can shorten your life.
RESPONSE: While poor sleep can contribute to weight gain and other health problems, getting quality sleep could make it easier to get on that treadmill and stay trim.
JANA KLAUER, MD: When someone switches their sleep pattern to one of increased deep sleep, they wake up renewed. They don't put off going to the gym; they get out of bed, have their water, put on their gym clothes, and go out the door and exercise. People who exercise do spend more time in deep sleep than in light sleep; this has been measured. It is a cycle, and that exercise will help them to sleep better that night, and so I think each kind of helps the other.
RESPONSE: While we all know that quality sleep keeps us rested and alert for the day ahead, it now seems that it might even lead to a healthier metabolism and a healthier life.
ORFEU BUXTON, PhD: Sleep is a sign of a balanced lifestyle that includes exercise and diet, and it's important to sleep a sufficient amount as a part of a balanced lifestyle that promotes good health.
