subject: Sleep Deprivation And Obesity [print this page] Beside good things, modern times gave us a bunch of very negative too. Rise of technology and everyday chase for money left us very little space for exercising and proper food intake. Therefore its not surprising that about 30 % of Americans have problem with obesity. However, there are at least one important factor for weight gain. Almost 50% of obese people dont get the recommended eight hours sleep a night. Recent studies seem to have found that there is a link between sleep deprivation and obesity.
Sleep researchers from University of Chicago discovered the link between a lack of sleep and overeating. They found that sleep deprivation activates the part of the brain that is involved in appetite regulation. This particular part of the brain helps produce two hormones ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is an appetite stimulating hormone which force our body to require food, while Leptin is produced by the fat cells and tells the brain the current energy balance in the body. When leptin levels are high this tells us we are full Sleep deprivation produce hormonal imbalance with high ghrelin and low leptin levels in our body. By them, it is certain that lack of sleep leads to weight gain.
Sleep researchers from Stanford University agrees that there is a great hormonal change in the body due to sleep deprivation , but for them ,more important factor is lack of exercise. According to them, if the extra hours spent awake were used in a more productive manner such as, doing exercise, people would not see any distinctive weight gain. So, although there are certain changes in hormonal status , sleep deprivation does not necessarily lead to weight gain.
And this perfectly make sense for me. We should less rely on fast weight loss treatments and miracle pills and instead we should correct our diet , have regular exercise and of course enough of sleep during the night. If we all stick with those simple , but yet effective rules I believe rising obesity problem will be reduced. After all, its your life and you should make a decision.
