Older adults sleeping 5 or less hours per night have much greater odds of being obese compared to those sleeping 7-8 hours per night. Men lacking sleep are almost 4 times as likely to be obese, women twice as likely. Reduced sleep also predicts obesity in both children and young adults.
Abdominal obesity increases with sleep loss. Both BMI and body fat percentage are also greater in sleep deprived individuals.
Inadequate sleep is a stressor that increases insulin resistance by elevating adrenal hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline.
PMID: 18936766
Ah, sleep, the missing link. You can exercise and eat right all you want, but if you want to make those worthwhile, you have to get a good night’s sleep! I do wonder, however, whether lost sleep causes obesity or if it is just a correlation. Lack of sleep is probably correlated with a lot of other things in someone’s lifestyle that would also be predictive of obesity.
Quick and to the point. Great artcle. I will make sure that I get a good nights sleep.
makes sense
When I took a graveyard shift for 6 months, for the first time in my adult life I was able to get 7-8 hrs sleep every night. Even though I was eating more food (3 meals and a snack instead of only lunch and dinner) I lost 30lbs. I was pretty surprised; more sleep, more food, no other changes and the weight just melted off. Unfortunately when I returned to my day shift (and 3-4 hrs nightly sleep) the weight quickly crept back on.
I always knew that it’s not healthy if you don’t sleep enough but I had no idea that reduced sleep can cause obesity. I for myself need at least seven hours of sleep a night or I won’t make it through the day (at least not in a good shape)
I had no idea that getting the right amount of sleep is that important. I always imagined that if I miss a few nights of sleep and sleep longer in the weekend everything will be fine. Now that I read your article, everything seems to make sense. Thank you for the information, your website is really helpful.
Sleeping is too important to miss. People eat a lot if they can’t sleep to stay awake. And that cause obesity which is not healthy.
garren – I think acai is a fantastic food. With its high ORAC capacity it should significantly improve insulin sensitivity… which should eventually translate into a lower body weight.
Have you tried MonaVie? I’m sure you have heard of the acai berry. I have been using it regularly for 5 months and have been amazed with how great I feel. The more I look into this product the more I am impressed. After 2 months I was needing 1 hour less sleep every night due to better deeper sleep. What are your thoughts on it?
If people are stressed out, they sleep less. They also probably eat more. When I’m stressed out, I tend to eat more And sleep less.
Keep smiling
Rich