More Zzz’s, Less Lbs???

If you’ve ever felt guilty for hitting the snooze button and getting an extra 30 minutes of sleep instead of going to the gym, do I have some good news for you! Turns out your instincts for extra sleep may have not been a far cry off the radar for getting healthy. There’s been an increasing body of evidence that have pointed us more and more towards seeing there is a strong link between sufficient REM cycles and fitting into your skinny jeans. Good news for people who love pillow time.

The link is being explored in a number of different ways. The first is obvious: lifestyle choices. Think about the last time you stayed up way too late – maybe it was a late night for your final exams in law school, maybe it was to pick up a family member at the airport from a delayed flight, or maybe it was to catch the latest marathon of House Hunters. (Or yes, you work nights or have a small, helpless, hungry infant in your life who needs you at wee hours of the morning – slightly more legitimate than HGTV marathons.) Tell me, the next day, how raring and ready were you to get a great work out in? What types of foods did you crave? How positive was your mood?

It’s rare the person who thinks clearly, chooses wisely, and focuses well on 2-3 hours sleep less than what they need. Burn the oil til midnight with the alarm clock going off at 5 am, and you might find that pull towards an ooey gooey Cinnamon Crunch Panera bagel is a whole lot stronger than fixing yourself an egg white omelet with salsa and some whole wheat toast. It’s not that you need more carbs, but your sleep-deprived fuzzy brain is confusing it’s lack of energy and sending you on a manhunt for all things quick-boost-energy. Is the HOT NOW sign on, or am I just hallucinating?

We also experience a number of hormonal changes that drive the choices we make and can impede the weight loss we’re working towards. For starters, the hormone Ghrelin, which I like to affectionately refer to as the Gremlin in my tummy, revs up when we’re sleep deprived. A revved up Gremlin means a revved up appetite. Along with the increase of Ghrelin, sleep deprivation leads to an depression of leptin. Leptin’s job is to tell you when enough is enough. In other words, it signals then brain when to stop eating. Imagine, an increased appetite and a decreased signal of fullness. You get the picture!

The final piece of the hormonal puzzle is the increase in the hormone cortisol. I highlighted the role of cortisol here, and guess what folks? Not getting enough sleep provokes that same stressful response as the saber tooth tiger chase back in our caveman days. Yet, according to the National Sleep Foundation, 63% of people are sleep deprived. The normalcy of this behavior downplays the stressful impact it can take on our well-being. In fact, in many circles I’ve traveled in, being sleep deprived is a rite of passage, or even bragging rights! Forgive me for not understanding, but there’s few things that make me happier than not needing a drip line of Dunkin to get me running!

In all fairness, I’ll confess that I have a strong bias for this topic. Anyone who knows me well knows that I love sleep and I’ll go to some pretty great lengths to protect it. (Just ask my softball team where my loyalties lay when we were scheduled for a 10 pm play off game. I showed up only when my 6:15 am appointment the next day called and canceled.) I’ve learned this route the hard way, as a reformed “zombie.” Throughout most of my school years, I’d stay up as late as humanely possible, then wake up at the crack of day to get to the gym. I still look back with shame on the image of my sleeping head on a desk in many of my high school classes. (Most sincere apologies to Senor Balsch, Mr. P, and Mr. Boardman. I assure you it had nothing to do with your teaching style.) Like a reformed smoker, once I knew the errors of my way, I’ve been quick to get on the bullhorn and let the world know about the power and impact of sufficient sleep.

The research is there, and it’s even tapping into some of the hardest hit groups: new mommas. A 2008 study conducted by Kaiser Permanante found that 6 months after delivering, mothers who were sleeping less than 5 hours a day were more likely to be retaining at least 10 pounds of extra body weight than the lucky moms getting 5 or more. (Disclaimer: I don’t have babies, and I have no idea what it takes to get more than 5 hours of sleep as a mom. So don’t shoot the messenger, my blearly eyed mommas readers out there!)

In case you’re wondering, the NSF defines sleep deprivation as getting 8 hours of sleep or less. I tend to believe that we’re all hard-wired differently and most “well rested” people I know average between 6-8 hours a night. (Survey sample: close family and friends. Very scientific.) If you’re not getting that and you think it may be affecting your health, examine your night time habits to figure out how to get a few more REM cycles.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins recommend these other tried and true methods for increasing your Zzz’s:
- Limit caffeine use to before 3 pm and moderate alcohol after dinner. (You’ll fall asleep easier but as the buzz wears off, your sleep is less restful.)
- Avoid rigorous exercise in the late evening hours.
- Try to get up at the same time every morning, even if you go to sleep earlier.
(I don’t full abide by this rule, as most week days mornings I wake up at 4:50 am. On the weekends, I try to get up the first time my body wakes up naturally, whatever time that is.)
- Use your bedroom for bed-only related activities. And no, that does not include catching up on Jeopardy and having some cheese and crackers under the sheets.
- Lose weight. (Yes I know, that’s why we’re here!) Increased weight around the neck and chest can impair oxygen to the brain, a condition known as sleep apnea. As a survival mechanism, you actually wake up periodically throughout the night to jump start respiration. Frequent mini-wakes up can add up to big time sleep deprivation.

So the next time you find your arm snaking towards that snooze button, forget the guilt. Listen to the message from your body. If you truly need more sleep, take more sleep. (Just don’t forget to show up for work, or feed the dogs/children/spouse, meet your trainer, or go to your doctor’s appointment… or come to MY CLASS…whatever it is you’re doing that morning.) If you find that you’re constantly reaching for the snooze, re-evaluate your sleeping patterns on the other end.

An extra hour of sleep a night be the difference of ten pounds a year, according to research using the Nurses Health Study in 2006. Ten pounds? I’ll take it. And the extra sleep.

Tags: health risks, metabolism, research, strategies, weight loss, weight loss tools