Sleep to Lose Weight

January 11, 2006 by Renee @ 10:41 AM

Doctors have previously proven that when we sleep too little, we gain weight. Now a research team from Laval University in Quebec City has shown the ideal sleep zone for weight loss: seven to eight hours a night.
Sleep just five to six hours and you can expect to gain weight even if you don't change your diet or exercise habits. Why? Leptin, a hormone that regulates hunger, is manufactured in fat cells. [snip] a study of 323 men and 417 women from Quebec province in Canada reported those sleeping fewer hours also had lower leptin levels than they should have.

Would that doctors could just tell us to go to bed to lose weight! It's not quite that easy. Even if you faithfully give yourself the gift of eight hours of nightly slumber, you aren't guaranteed to lose weight. Still, the study found that those who slept between seven and eight hours each night were also the slimmest, something to keep in mind as you indulge in late-night TV. [source]

I take this with a grain of salt. From all my readings on fit & healthy people, they seem to thrive on less sleep. As little as 4 but usually no more than 6 hours. I think the key line is this: "Sleep just five to six hours and you can expect to gain weight even if you don't change your diet or exercise habits."

Get those zzzz's.

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3 Comments

01.11.06 | jj commented:

These days I'm desperately wishing that I could manage to stay asleep for 7 hours straight. Insomnia is a B**** :-(

01.11.06 | renee commented:

I'm right there with you jj. When I went on vacation, I slept like a log, easily getting 7+ hours. Now I'm lucky to get more than 4 hours. Then spend the entire weekend catching up on lost sleep only to start the vicious cycle all over again on Monday.

It really is a bitch.