Effects of InsomniaSleeping your way to Good Health and Weight ControlDr. David W. Sparks
This article will discuss one of the major effects of insomnia: obesity. Fortunately, there is a very pleasant solution that is included in the title:Sleeping your way to Good Health and Weight Control. That may sound like two separate topics, but actually, they go hand in hand. While our overall mission is about how to best get sound sleep, you might be surprised that so many health problems are related to poor sleep. Chief among them is weight control. Poor sleep, such as that experienced by people suffering from insomnia, can and usually does, lead to irritability, depression, anxiety, stress, poor memory, lack of sexual interest, lack of energy and focus. These are again, some of the effects of insomnia. But weight control? That isn't an obvious a connection is it? It needs to be pointed out that there is in fact a direct link between sleeplessness and the burgeoning obesity epidemic in America. The good news is that there’s a diet plan you might want to try if you need to lose weight and it’s called...GET TO BED ON TIME TONIGHT! The concept sounds strange, but there’s an immense amount of science behind it. A recent Columbia University study found that the less sleep subjects reported getting, the more likely they were to be obese. The study showed that if you get only 5 hours of sleep a night, you’re 50% more likely to be obese than people who get 9 to 10 hours. And, if you only sleep 2 to 4 hours, you’re 73% more likely. So it’s no coincidence that people have never been more overweight and suffered from so many sleep problems. This correlation is why there’s so much discussion going on in the scientific community about how sleep and weight control are related. Does poor sleep create weight problems or do weight problems lead to poor sleep? Research indicates that both answers are "yes". And the flip side of this is how weight issues can lead to all sorts of additional problems that also affect our sleep.The intention behind this article is to discuss a tie-in between poor sleep, weight gain and various health problems. And, how quality, sound sleep is the easiest path to rectifying these potential health maladies. Prevention is as simple as getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis. Not only will you feel and look better, but your health will certainly be improved. Learning the tricks or solutions to sleeping soundly could actually extend, or even save your life, or the life of someone you love. The proper approach to sleep comes from 2 different angles. One being how sound sleep will help you in these health related areas, such as weight control, and the other being how food and your weight can affect your ability to sleep soundly. This is truly a topic that goes full circle. For example, an article in a professional sleep disorders journal recently said that 60% of American adults are either hypertensive or are on a collision course with hypertension...meaning that millions of us suffer from high blood pressure. This is important to mention since high blood pressure is tied to obesity. Further, high blood pressure is also tied to poor sleep. When we fall asleep, the number of times our hearts beat per minute is supposed to drop. With a decreased heart rate, the workload on our hearts is dramatically reduced while we sleep. Think of this as giving the heart a reduced workload while we sleep. However, if we're lying awake at night, tossing and turning...stressed with mind chatter, our heart rates are kept higher, meaning higher blood pressure. And, lying awake because of stress also may cause the body to store fat. To summarize, weight control affects blood pressure, sleep affects blood pressure, sleep affects weight control, and weight gain has an effect on how we sleep. In a recent Harvard study, it was shown that when you don’t get enough sleep, your body quickly loses its ability to metabolize sugar. In just one week, healthy, lean, fit volunteers deprived of adequate sleep became pre-diabetic! Worse yet, women who don’t get enough sleep at night see their metabolism rate drop by a whopping 40-percent! This means women can gain weight way too quickly. There is another health concern. Sleep deprived patients are often diabetic and this is not just a coincidence. Not surprisingly, a majority of diabetics are overweight. Diabetes involves the hormone called insulin which transports blood sugar to store energy. Recent research has shown that there are a variety of factors related to people who are not sleeping well, that can elevate insulin levels. For example, if you're sleeping poorly, your body may produce a false feeling of hunger. That "hunger" can lead you to crave, and then give in to the temptation of carbohydrates. And this is all perfectly logical. If you're not sleeping well, you're tired. Eating carbs is a way to energize yourself in order to stay up. An article published in the Washington Post reported that poor sleep may prevent the body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates which will lead to increased insulin levels. As it turns out, large volumes of insulin in your blood stream make you hungry! So we see people with this problem go into more carbohydrate cravings, eating doughnuts, or bread, or pastry or pasta…anything. Patients will often exhibit the following types of behavioral conditions. They will admit to being chronic night-owls who fight insomnia, so they develop avoidance behaviors about going to bed. They stay up late at night, watching TV or working on their computer, and they continuously raid the refrigerator. It isn’t surprising then that they become overweight. Something else may occur with these chronic sequences of behavior. Insomniacs can become pre-diabetic. People who are in such conditions often gain weight and then are told they're fat because they can't control themselves. The truth is, it may not be just a simple lack of discipline. They're just responding to what their body's chemistry is telling them. There is a premise that must be underscored: the importance of a set sleep schedule. A very recent article in the Archives of Internal Medicine along with testimonials from hundreds of people I have worked with over the years support this concept. Make sure, if you're living with someone, that those around you support you in this effort to get sound sleep to feel more vibrant during the day. Also, make sure your bedroom is off limits to those who might disturb your sleep. But, let’s get back to some more specific connections between food and sleep, because not only does our sleep (or lack of) affect our weight and our weight affect our sleep, but the specific foods we eat also have a great impact on our ability to sleep soundly. So take a good hard look at the foods you eat, and when we eat them. Now that you know a little bit about the psychology of late night food bingeing, and how your sleep schedule affects food cravings, such as carbohydrates, you should think seriously about what you eat and drink every day. Here are a few simple nutritional rules for sound sleep: First of all, you may hate to hear this because it is said so often, but don’t skip breakfast. Start your day with a full portion of good protein, especially such foods as eggs and bacon, or toast with peanut butter on top, along with a bowl of fruit and a glass of skim milk. Eat six smaller meals a day instead of just three larger meals. This will help keep your blood sugar level even so you won’t crave carbohydrates so much. Also, your energy level will be intact all day. When we’re hungry, our energy is the first thing to go. Just like a car without gas. Eat a good balanced diet of protein for dinner, with some fats and carbohydrates. Try to eat your dinner before seven PM. That’s when we slow down for the day so we don’t need all of those energy calories. Try to have a piece of fruit for desert, or at least keep desert to a minimum. No big bowls of ice cream. All that sugar will keep you up at night and your body will turn it into fat. Try a light carbohydrate snack before bedtime. Something like a whole wheat bagel or a banana. Brew some delightful chamomile or peppermint tea. Warm herbal, decaffeinated tea in the evening is soothing. Play relaxing music as you sip your tea to end the day. Make sure you're drinking lots of water during the day, by the way. Many times, when we think we’re hungry, we’re really just thirsty. But don’t drink a lot of water right before bedtime, for obvious reasons...you don’t want to wake up with a need for a trip to the bathroom! Along with that, I know a lot of people like to have a nice glass of wine or a beer at night to unwind after a long day. If you have insomnia, it’s better to have that drink at least three hours before bedtime. Maybe at dinner. Then, switch to water or herbal tea. Try not to drink any caffeinated beverages, such as soda, after twelve noon. Caffeine is funny. Some people are not affected by it in the least, while others shake when they drink too much of it. Caffeine can stay in your system for up to 24-hours! Some people are just more sensitive to caffeine than others. It doesn’t seem fair to have to give up something as innocent as a diet soda. But, the results may be worth it. For example, drink a lot more water, which is healthier for so many reasons, not the least of which, water also helps to flush out your system and hydrate your cells. You should also sleep more soundly, and feel less hungry during the day if you drink water. You'll be less tempted to eat empty calorie foods -- that lead to being overweight...obese.
Make sure you sign up in the Action Steps section and I will send you a sample of both the first day of Actions Steps for Better Sleep and A Healthier Life and Day 1 of The Better Sleep in 7 Days audiobook. We value your privacy and will not pass along your email address to anyone.
Return from Effects of Insomnia to The Insomnia Cure Home Page |