The Sleep - Weight Connection

Various studies have shown that too little sleep can reek havoc on your weight loss or weight maintenance goals.

Sleep deprivation:

- slows metabolism

- negatively impacts the balance of appetite hormones (ghrelin & leptin).

- encourages higher caloric intake through

- less healthy food cravings & choices (fat, salt, sugar, &/or refined carbohydrate laden).

- larger or more frequent meals & snacks

- extra calories from caffeinated beverages

- tends to causes any weight loss to come from muscle (rather than from fat).

Although everyone is different, the average recommended amount of sleep for adults is 7.5 hours. The referenced studies quantify sleep deprivation as less than 5.5 hours of sleep. Research seems to indicate at least 7 hours offers the most protective benefits. However, the quality of sleep is equally important.

According to the studies, if you are already getting the recommended amount of quality sleep, additional sleep is unlikely to lead to additional weight loss.

One of the long-term studies is available at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/533105. For more information on how to cope with occasional shortfalls or improve your sleep quality, check out 4/4's blog post.