Feeling Fat? Forget Your Diet, Check This Out

I've blogged about the relationship between sleep and weight maintenance numerous times before. In brief: the more high-quality sleep you get, the easier it is to lose unwanted weight and keep that weight off. Restful sleep keeps your metabolism in check through a variety of biological pathways that can run amok when you don't get your ZZZs.

But here's more recent data to keep in mind (in case you still don't believe that sleep can be so gut-friendly):

• In individuals under 40, a new study, which appears in the March issue of Sleep, shows a clear association between averaging five hours or less of sleep each night and large increases in visceral fat, or fat around the organs.
• Minorities are disproportionately affected by a lack of sleep. Of the study participants under 40, minorities were the largest groups to report getting such little sleep.

So how does sleep deprivation lead to thicker waistlines? Ethnicity aside, three things will happen to the human body when it doesn't get its needed sleep:

• You'll crave high-carb foods, and likely gravitate toward sugary, salty, fatty carbs (ahem: you'll want the cookies, chips, muffins, and scones -- not the kale and quinoa).
• Your metabolism will tick down a notch so you won't burn as much energy.
• You'll be tired enough to forgo exercise. (To add insult to injury, the Journal of the American Medical Association just released a new study among women indicating that a full hour of exercise a day is needed to fight oncoming flab. Got time for that?)

And all of that spells weight gain -- regardless of your genetic origins or which diet you choose to follow.

So many people focus on diet and exercise when they want to shed unwanted pounds. They turn to crazy programs, seek foods to amp up their metabolism and bat down cravings, pick up unrealistic exercise regimens, and generally white-knuckle themselves into a fleeting lifestyle of deprivations, restrictions, and boot camp.

But what if your solution were just a good night's sleep away? What if you could take control of your waistline just by logging a few more minutes (and for some, hours) of restful sleep a night? Something to think about. Try the following:

• Knock at least three things off your To Do list every day.
• Add 15 more minutes to the time you set aside for preparing for bed. If you rush from cleaning the kitchen to jumping into bed within 10 minutes, slow things down a bit. Aim to set aside 30 minutes to calm down and power down. No housework. No homework.
• Set a bedtime boundary. Be in bed by a certain time in relation to your wake time to assure you get 7 to 8 hours, and don't let excuses keep the light on.

Lose weight in your sleep?  Maybe not.  Lose weight because you got your sleep?  Now there just might be something to that!

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctor™
www.thesleepdoctor.com

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thesleepdoctor

This article on sleep and weight is also available at Dr. Breus's official blog, The Insomnia Blog: by Sleep Doctor Michael Breus, PhD.

 

 

 

Follow Dr. Michael J. Breus on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thesleepdoctor

Comments

[NoSillyName]

04:19 PM on 04/14/2010

Post-menopausal, with a decades-long sleep disorder, not craving those kinds of foods, gaining that abdominal fat even though exercising 60Plus minutes per day.

More than discouraging and finding no solutions..

[farmilyman]

10:11 PM on 04/12/2010

Some people get 5 or less hours of sleep and aren't tired. I'm one of them. If I go up to 6 or 7 hours I feel awful.

[tatianalensky]

09:38 AM on 04/11/2010

I often don't comment on these types of posts because most of them are silly. This one, however, pretty much hit home. I sleep no more than 3 hours in one go. And I always am eating at night! And eating exactly those foods described! And yes, I've gained weight around the middle........ugh!

Thanks! I mean, I always knew the sleep thing was a problem but seeing it written out in front of my face makes me realize the importance of it.
thanks!

[chandra-shekar]

08:05 PM on 04/10/2010

This article is misleading inasmuch as it suggests that if you're getting a good night's rest (8 or more hours of sleep) you start losing weight.

Not true.

You still need to watch what you're eating, how much of it you eat and there is no substitute for exercise (unfortunately!).

I had tried most diets and was always slipping into a yo-yo pattern.

I found myself at 194 lbs the day after Christmas 2009. FYI, I am male, 66 y.o. and 5'11" tall.

My girl-friend found "The Flat Belly Diet" and we got started January 7th. As of this morning, I'm down 20 lbs and have had no cravings, no afternoon naps and feel absolutely great.

I workout three times a week, walk 30 to 40 minutes every day and do yoga three times a week.

The Flat Belly Diet is not a diet as much as it is a lifestyle change. Women eat four meals every day, each meal 400 calories. With every meal, one adds a MUFA (multi-unsaturated fat) - nuts, avocado, olives, pesto sauce or dark chocolate! YES, dark chocolate.

It is basically a variation of the diet that the people around the Mediterranean eat .... they are known to be among the healthiest people on the planet.

It is certainly working for us and we are eating delicious meals.

[Ametista]

05:13 PM on 04/11/2010

I think I will try that! Thanks!

[Ametista]

12:40 AM on 04/10/2010

Well if I had gone to sleep an hour ago I wouldn't be eating goldfish crackers or having a glass of merlot.

[ena]

11:05 AM on 04/11/2010

ROFLOL when I noticed the time that you wrote your comment. It put me into a laughing fit of commiseration & even though it's only 11:00 am on Sunday morning (no less) I am now craving a glass of Merlot.
Thanks for the giggles of reality - - Fanned!

[Ametista]

05:12 PM on 04/11/2010

Ha! You should try it with goldfish crackers. Yum yum!

[UltimateLifestyle]

12:06 AM on 04/10/2010

An entire hour per day of exercise to fend of weight gain - ouch!

My gym membership expired several months ago and I've been lagging on renewing it. This was the incentive I needed.

No problems with getting the eight hours though - phew.

Lara Jane
http://ultimatelifestyleproject.com/spiritual-quotient

[Grada3784]

09:58 PM on 04/09/2010

Now he tells me.

Unfortunately, with sleep apnea, even with a CPAP, sleeping can be a nightmare.

[starrynights]

12:57 AM on 04/11/2010

When I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and treated for it I lost 20 pounds without even trying to lose. I felt so much better being able to get a solid night's sleep!

[Grada3784]

09:42 AM on 04/11/2010

Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case for me. But then too, the treatment hasn't worked very well. Sleeping is still very disturbed.

[E4B32787]

09:36 PM on 04/09/2010

"You'll crave high-carb foods..."

What's craving? It's the symptom of an "addiction". My three step, which has knocked off 6-8 lbs in the last two weeks is:

1.) Recognizing "craving" as an addictive trait. I saw on a couple of PBS fundraiser shows, theories that sugar, salt and fat have addictive like qualities. The other week someone came into work and offered donuts. Immediately, people lined up for their donut, because, eating a donut makes one feel good. If a cigarette smoker smokes a cigarette, he/she feels good. What's the dif? Once I associated the word "addiction" with any particular "craving", I see such urges in a different light. In fact, I've pretty much lost these cravings. Go "cold turkey" on any food that is causing problems.

2.) Lose the high fructose corn syrup on the chance it's causing problems.
http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/

3.) I saw this ad that promised great weight losses after only a couple of weeks of 7 minutes a day exercise. I googled the company and saw that their approach was isometric exercise. There may be something to it, as I'm exercising muscle against other muscles, causing a lot more muscles to exercise all at once.

Between the 3 forgoing, I've had great luck in the last 2 weeks. I'm within 10 lbs of optimal, high-school weight. Your mileage may vary. #1 is most important. It changes your whole attitude.

[Ametista]

12:43 AM on 04/10/2010

What about when you crave avocados (I always do, esp when on a low fat diet like weight watchers) or a salty food like kalamata olives? Those are the two foods I crave, almost every day.

[E4B32787]

02:10 AM on 04/11/2010

It's too soon to say. By way of disclosure, my weight loss has been significant enough that I'm more than just a little bit concerned that it is as a result of some unwanted help, if you catch my drift. I got comments from work the other day. So, I would *love* to see someone duplicate my results.

But anyhow, I have nothing to offer insofar as "avocados" is concerned. I don't eat them, so I don't know. Just count calories. Try to keep daily intake at 2000.

In my case, the only change in diet was to lose chocolate non-fat frozen yogurt, sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. That was the problem in #1 and #2. I have not changed intake on any other food, so eliminating the frozen yogurt should, from a calorie perspective, knocked off about 1-2 lbs.

So the rest either came from isometric exercise, or illness. I'm not sure which. I've been flexing arm and leg muscles. I suck in my stomach. I'll clasp my hands and try to pull them apart. In other words, full 9 yards, isometric exercise. I hope that's what's doing it. I'm not stopping, with the finish line in sight.

[getsit]

11:33 AM on 04/12/2010

Both are good for you. On the flat belly diet or Atkins you can have both. Just count out the olives and only eat a quarter of an avocado. With me, I find I replace fat with more calories of carbs. Satisfying good fat foods can really make a difference in the cravings for sweets. I'd rather have my fish oil, olive oil, olives, nuts and so on because they satisfy. Just measure and be aware.

It's obvious low fat isn't for you. Try low carb, higher good fats.

[getsit]

04:39 PM on 04/09/2010

The irony is that it's hard to get a good night's sleep when you are fat. Even if you go to bed timely you can't get comfortable, so you awake and move around a lot. You might also have sleep apnea. Joints ache so you are continually adjusting to a new position to relieve the stress. The longer you are in bed the more you ache from lack of movement.

Even 10 lbs off can make a big difference. Anyone can lose 10 lbs. We all need to convince ourselves that we can make a difference to our health. Lose the 1st 10 lbs, then start the next. Small goals add up.

[leftcoastindy]

11:43 AM on 04/09/2010

If you are over 50 and have trouble sleeping, try Melatonin. It works about 1/2 the time for me. No hangover and no known side effects.

[Outofnowhere]

12:07 AM on 04/11/2010

I tried Melatonin and thought I'd never wake up again. My head felt like it weighed a ton and I couldn't lift it up from the pillow. No thanks, that stuff is way too strong for me!

[rf-hawaii]

04:50 AM on 04/12/2010

Better, try this:

http://www.potentialsunlimited.com/details-mp3s.cfm?id=270

Cheap, one time purchase, safe, works well.

[themainpoint]

11:38 AM on 04/09/2010

Thanks for this useful article. And I have always wanted to know what the fat around organs was called, so now I do!