Yes, sleep is necessary for not only mental focus and physical stamina but is essential to regulate your weight!
You might have a hidden sleep disorder that is wreaking havoc on your hormones " and leading to more weight gain!
Sleep apnea related weight gain is all too common. It is estimated that 80 million Americans live with undiagnosed sleep apnea today.
First tackle the sleep problems. Then good sleep will start working for you in your battle to lose weight, instead of against you. Your efforts to lose weight will become much easier if you solve the sleeping problem first.
If you have apnea and are not regularly using CPAP, then you are almost certainly going to gain weight.
Heres some science behind the connection between apnea and weight gain:
1. Most of you don't have time to feel run down from lack of sleep. Your body's solution is to crave immediate energy by carbo-loading in the form of sugar, carbohydrates and other calorie rich foods. In a study by the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, patients with the most extreme cases of sleep problems were also consuming the most calories, protein, cholesterol and saturated fat.
2. The Quebec Family Study found that short sleepers (five to six hours a night) were 35% more likely than average sleepers to have an 11-pound weight gain over six years.
3. It turns out that the best appetite suppressant is a good night's sleep. Poor quality sleep causes levels of the hormone ghrelin to severely increase in your gastrointestinal tract. This hormone is in charge of making you feel hungry. You increase your levels of ghrelin every time you get a bad night's sleep.
By Pam McKee
