Sleep It Off: The sleep/weight connection

Do you lose sleep over your weight? It might be time to try losing weight over your sleep!

According to a major study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, lack of sleep can diminish the production of the hormone GH - a hormone that helps inhibit weight gain. GH plays an important role in controlling the proportions of fat and muscle. Having less of this hormone increases your chances of being overweight.

The hormone leptin, which regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates and signals the body when it should feel full, can also be affected by lack of sleep. When there are low levels of leptin, the body craves carbohydrates regardless of the amount of calories consumed. This can lead easily to weight gain.

On the other hand, studies show that if you get high amounts REM sleep (deep or slow-wave) your evening cortisol levels are more likely to be well-balanced. The hormone cortisol also plays a role in regulating appetite. The more balanced your cortisol levels, the easier it is to control your appetite.

Lack of sleep has also been shown to have diabetes-like effects on people.

One study showed that a sleep deficit of three to four hours for only one week can have adverse effects on basic metabolic functions such as processing and storing carbohydrates, even if you're young and healthy.

The study suggests that without sufficient sleep your ability to process glucose can be affected so much that glucose levels can reach those associated with a pre-diabetic state.

The director of the study said she suspected that chronic sleep loss might hasten the onset and increase the severity of age-related ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and memory loss.

While not enough sleep can cause weight gain, weight gain can also affect your sleep adversely, increasing your chances of developing some type of sleep disorder.

It's a catch-22 situation, the best way out of which is to improve both your sleep quality and weight at the same time.

If you have difficulty sleeping, or are overweight, or both, set a goal to lose one pound per week and practice these good pre-sleep habits.

• Cut back on caffeine – coffee, tea, chocolate. Some people get wired with just one cup of java. Know your cut-off level.
• Limit alcohol and don't drink right before bedtime. It can promote drowsiness, but disrupts REM sleep.
• Exercise is good for you, but not just before bed as it tends to keep people awake
• Try drinking a glass of warm milk before you go to bed; it helps some people to sleep more deeply.
• Have a relaxing bedtime routine
• Stop doing anything stressful an hour before bedtime – give your brain time to wind down
• Don't eat too close to bedtime
• Don't nap or sleep in late
• If you are worrying about something, get out of bed. Condition yourself that bed is for sleeping, not worrying.
• Try not to obsess about not sleeping. The more you worry about it, the less you will sleep.
• If light is coming into the room, block it off
• Try a soothing bath or other relaxation rituals, including deep breathing, restful music, light stretching, muscle relaxation, before you get in bed
• If you always have trouble getting to sleep, you might consider professional help