There is a potential link between lack of sleep with obesity
and cardiometabolic disease. Many Americans do not get sufficient sleep and
many are considered obese. It has been estimated that 50-70 million Americans
are affected by sleep-related problems and approximately 29% of Americans
report sleeping less than 7 hours per night (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. 2008). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity in the United States is 42.4% (Hales et
al., 2020). So what is the link between sleep and obesity and how much of
obesity is directly related to lack of sleep versus other factors?
Some studies have shown that short-term sleep restriction is
associated with impaired glucose metabolism, dysregulation of appetite, and
increased blood pressure. Other studies have found associations between short
sleep duration, which is considered less than 6 hours of sleep per night, and
body mass index, diabetes, and hypertension (Knutson, 2012). It has been shown
that brain signals that affect appetite were affected by sleep disruption,
specifically the secretion of ghrelin and lectin. Ghrelin increases appetite
and leptin indicates when the body is full. Disruptions in secretions of these
hormones can lead to increased food intake without compensation of energy
expenditure (Knutson, 2012). As we learned in physiology lecture, we know that
when energy intake is greater than energy expenditure weight gain occurs, so
these findings make sense. This really becomes an issue when considering the
comorbidities linked to obesity. In addition to a healthy diet and restricting
our consumption of trans-fatty acids, we need to be educated on the impact of
sleep deprivation and how to behaviorally improve our health holistically.
Ultimately, we have autonomy over what we eat, if we exercise, and how much
sleep we get.
References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Perceived Insufficient
Rest or Sleep Among Adults—United States, 2008. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report 58:1179
Hales, C. M., Carroll, M. D., M.S.P.H, Fryar, C. D., M.S.P.H,
& Ogden, C. L., Ph.D. (2020, February 27). Products - Data Briefs - Number
360 - February 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020, from
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db360.htm
Knutson, K. L. (2012). Does
inadequate sleep play a role in vulnerability to obesity? American Journal
of Human Biology, 24(3), 361-371. doi:10.1002/ajhb.22219
I personally do agree that lack of sleep can make you gain weight, but not because of the science behind it but more so because of the roller coster affect.Let me explain, when I dont enough sleep, i usually feel tired during the day and then I tell myself I need a pick me up, that will take me through out the day. So I go for coffee, chocolate, candies ...etc. That is, I eat a ton of carbs, sugar and junk food throughout out the day to keep me active. Now we all know the effect of carbs, junk, sugar and etc on the body. so imagine not getting enough rest especially as students and repeating the cycle daily. Then it becomes very likely you will put on some weight.
ReplyDeleteNow lets discuss the science behind it. In short sleep duration and weight gain, the authors analyze the effect of short sleep on weight gain. They reviewed 36 articles which resulted in "Findings in both cross-sectional and cohort studies of children suggested short sleep duration is strongly and consistently associated with concurrent and future obesity" (Patel & Hu, 2008).They noted the positive association between short sleep duration and future weight. With all that being said , i highly recommend getting full sleep
Patel SR, Hu FB. Short sleep duration and weight gain: a systematic review. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008 Mar;16(3):643-53. doi: 10.1038/oby.2007.118. Epub 2008 Jan 17. PMID: 18239586; PMCID: PMC2723045.
I find this post interesting on both a personal and scientific level. Personally, I totally understand how lack of sleep is associated with weight gain and obesity because when I am sleeping less it usually means I am eating late at night during study sessions, eating more throughout the day because I am up for longer hours and usually what i am consuming is not the healthy option. Like BrittneySa618 mentioned, I tend to head for carbs, sugar and coffee to keep me going when I am tired. This tired feeling leads me to not want to do the things that might get me back into a good physiological rhythm like exercising and I tend to be much more sedentary during these phases.
ReplyDeleteThe interesting thing is that this feeling of the relationship between obesity and lack of sleep is also backed up with many scientific studies. In Sleep and Obesity it is discussed how obesity worldwide has doubled since 1980, a trend which is paralleled by an overall reduction in sleep duration (Beccuti & Pannain, 2013). Something I wonder with regards to the association between obesity and sleep is, does reaching a certain BMI (very high) also lead to reduced sleep through other factors therefore leading to a positive feedback loop between obesity and sleep?
Beccuti, G., Pannain, S. (2013). Sleep and Obesity. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 14(4), 402-412. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0b013e3283479109
I thought that this post was very interesting and relevant to us students. I am sure that all of us have been in a position where we do not get enough sleep and are then just reaching for the most convenient but not necessarily the healthiest option for food. I know that when I was working on night shifts, I definitely had poor eating habits. Most of the time I was not eating at all because I was too tired to focus on food since I was only focusing on work.
ReplyDeleteI was reading a study that associated lack of sleep with decreased attention spans and increased fluctuation in emotion. I think it would be really interesting to see how all of these components, including weight gain, correlate with each other in regard to students during finals week since that is so relevant to us currently. I definitely agree that we need to get enough sleep, eat right, and exercise to function properly day to day.