By Jane Hart, MD When was the last time your doctor recommended that you get more sleep in order to keep your weight down? Such advice may be the wave of the future as recent research has revealed a link between less sleep and obesity. On December 7, 2004, the online medical Journal of the Public Library of Science published a report by Stanford researchers that revealed the fact that less sleep may be associated with a change in hormones that increase appetite. The study also revealed that people who slept less had a higher body mass index (BMI) compared with those who slept for longer durations. Specifically, the study, which included 1,024 volunteers, found that people who slept less than five hours a night had a 15% increase in the hormone ghrelin and 15% decrease in the hormone leptin compared with those people who slept eight hours. These hormones, produced in the stomach and in fat cells respectively, directly affect appetite. When ghrelin is increased and leptin is decreased a person may experience an increase in appetite. Researchers suggest that an increase in appetite caused by the changes in these hormones may lead to increased food intake which causes the increased weight gain seen in people who sleep fewer hours a night. The research findings were true for people who regularly slept only five hours a night vs. eight hours a night. Other studies have been published that have shown similar findings although it has not yet been proven that changes in these hormones leads directly to increased weight. The exact reason why less sleep leads to increased weight is not known at this time. Further research is needed to better understand the link between sleep, weight, and appetite. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get between seven and nine hours a sleep each night for optimal health. Time will tell if that recommendation will also help keep your weight down! Sources: 1. Taheri S et al. Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin, elevated ghrelin and increased body mass index. Public Library of Science Medicine Journal. Available online at: http://www.plosmedicine.com/archive. Accessed December 9, 2004. 2 . Prinz P. Sleep, appetite and obesity - what is the link? Public Library of Science Medicine Journal. Available online at: http://www.plosmedicine.com/ archive. Accessed December 9, 2004. 3. National Sleep Foundation. Available online at: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/ sleeptips.cfm. Accessed December 9, 2004.
i was always told dat its d otha way around....hmmn but dis is bad news for me as i usually tend to sleep only a couple of hours a night
