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Get a good nights sleep to lose weight

February 10, 2008 in Obesity Causes by Allen | No comments

Yesterday I listed some reasons obesity researchers are putting forth for why there is a higher incidence of obesity.

One of their explanations is that people are getting too little sleep.

There have been a number of studies demonstrating a link between less sleep and increased weight over the last few years. The most recent was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

In this study researchers followed 68,000 women over a period of 16 years — tracking weight and sleep patterns.

Here is what they found.

Women averaging less than five hours sleep per night were 32 percent more likely to have a 7 pound weight gain over the 16 year period than women sleeping seven hours or more.

No one knows why this association occurs but some guess that sleep deprivation somehow alters the hormones that affect appetite and metabolism.

So, there you have it — a very good reason to sleep in a bit.

Allen Oelschlaeger
Author of Finally, the Straight Scoop About Weight, Nutrition, and Fitness

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