Didn’t get enough sleep at night? It will most likely lead to a higher consumption of fats and a decreased willingness to perform any physical activity. Studies show a close connection between the amount of sleep hours we get and obesity, so it is important to give your body a proper rest in order to maintain a healthy weight.
According to recent data, we sleep approximately two hours less every night since the beginning of the 20th century.
In addition, since that time the obesity rate among the population of the western world is increasing. We observed some recent studies to see if there really is a connection between the amount of sleep we get and obesity.
A vast study that was performed in the United States among people from the ages of 32-49 reveals that those who slept approximately five hours per night were more likely to become obese than those who slept approximately seven hours per night.
Another study conducted over 13 years has shown that teenagers who slept less than six hours per night became significantly obese at the ages of 27, 29 and 34.
An additional study found that among those who slept less than five hours per night had a decreased secretion of the Leptin hormone, which induces satiety, and an increased secretion of the Gherlin hormone, which induces hunger— compared to those who slept approximately eight hours per night.
Is there a connection between the sleep duration and the type of foods consumed?
A study that was performed in China among 2,828 participants, about 54% of which were women, shows that there is a connection between the sleep duration and the type of foods we consume during the day. The participants were divided into three groups, and it turned out that those who slept less than seven hours per night consumed more fats and fewer carbohydrates compared to those who slept over seven hours per night.
When observing the data in the opposite direction, that is, the influence of nutrition on sleep duration, it was found that those who consumed more fats slept approximately 8 minutes less per night, so it can be assumed that the consumption of fat influences the sleep cycle.
A study made among teenagers from the ages 16-19 clearly demonstrated that those who slept less than approximately eight hours per night consumed a smaller amount of carbohydrates and a large amount of fats compared to those who slept approximately eight hours per night. In addition, research found that women were affected most from lack of sleep,, causing an increased consumption of snacks.
Moreover, the records show that those who slept less than eight hours per night were more likely to consume a high-calorie meal the following morning, containing more than 17% percent of the total daily intake of carbohydrates, compared to 10% among those who slept approximately eight hours per night.
Does physical activity influence sleep?
An article published in the “Clinics in Sports Medicine” journal determines that people who perform physical activity get a better night sleep. Active people sleep approximately four more hours per night than those who are not active, and even tend to wake up less during the night. In addition, moderate physical activity lasting about an hour can reduce anxiety and depression while contributing to a good nights sleep..
Vice versa, it was found that a good night sleep increases the willingness to perform physical activity, while a lack of sleep can cause a reduction of physical activity during the day—leading to decreased metabolism. Several indications show that physical activity during night time can disrupt sleep and therefore it is recommended to work out about four to eight hours before sleep.
To conclude, the impact of reduced sleep hours is as follows:
- A decreased secretion of the Leptin hormone, which induces satiety.
- An increased secretion of the Gherlin hormone, which induces hunger.
- An increased resistance to Insulin, which harms the absorption of sugar in the body and leads to gaining weight.
- A decreased secretion of the Melatonin hormone, which encourages sleep.
- A change in the secretion of Cortisol, which is released in response to stress.
- A change in the secretion of growth hormones.
The recommendations are as follows :
- Children and teenagers need to sleep approximately nine hours per night.
- People in their twenties need to sleep approximately eight hours per night.
- It is recommended to perform an hour-long, moderate physical activity (like power walking) during the day.
- It is recommended to minimize the consumption of fats.
- It is recommended to consume a sufficient amount of carbohydrates during the day.
so what do you do to stay a sleep . I have no trouble falling asleep. But I wake up about and hour after going to sleep, then about 4 am I fight to sleep and I am ways tried after I get up.
Hi, Hotlight. It really does depend on the possible reasons you wake up (including what you do or eat/drink before sleep, the time you get to sleep, and/or if you have a medical condition) and/or how you are feeling at the time that you wake up. Are you anxious? Hungry? In pain? Have animals in the room with you? etc. Can you list any of these here?
Without knowing your particular details, I can say that people deal with these issues by avoiding alcohol and caffeine after a certain hour, avoiding drinking too much fluid at all, either winding down the day or engaging in exhausting activity (though for some people, this can be energizing, so it really is individual), taking a nutritional supplement that can address physical contributors (these include melatonin and some herbal extracts), meditating, and/or re-exhausting themselves with mental games or soothing physical exercises such as yoga you can do in bed.
Hi, deminichols. There are a few things you can do. Reading is the most popular, followed by soothing music (you don’t necessarily need to turn the music all the way off as you start to dose off). You can also try to tire your mind out by playing word games. Best of all, you can do soothing yoga while doing any of these things – even just simple leg lifts while you’re on your back – and get extra benefit from the physical activity.
Hello.. I have problem getting to sleep. My mind won’t turn off. I think a lot when I’m lying in bed. I toss and turn for up to 3 hrs before I finally fall asleep. How do I get my mind to hush.
Hi, DonnaMedley. We do have many Clubmembers in your spot! How long have you been working nights? If it is something new, I can see where the adjustment may be something of a nightmare (no pun intended). “Butcherboy” noted below something called “melatonin,” which is considered to be a big help (particularly in your situation). When you do get to sleep, try such toys as good earplugs and an eyemask. Remember that even though working nights is already something out of the ordinary, you be sure to keep as regular a schedule as possible with regard to when you retire for the day.
How can you get a good night sleep when you work nights and during the day you find it too noisy ugh!!
Turn off all electronics 1 hour prior to retiring. Take 1 melatonin tablet, prepare for bed, lie down and read something non- stimulating until the lines run together. Turn off the light and assume your favorite sleep position ( fetal position with a pillow between your legs is mine). Unless you are awakened to urinate, you should expect to sleep 7-8 hours. Try it!
This is me. I have fibromyalgia and don’t sleep well. This is partly because of pain and partly because I’m drinking so much water that I have to get up in the night several times. I often can’t get to sleep, especially if I’ve had a good day. I get excited about feeling better, losing weight, and am all “hyped up”. I know I should exercise more, and to do that, I need to get out of bed earlier, but I’m frequently struggling to get enough unbroken sleep. I spend a lot of time in front of my laptop, partly because I can’t get apps to work properly. It is rare to get up in the morning full of energy. I consider my diet to be very healthy but sometimes a bit over-carbed.
Hi, MonaChurch. Generally, about 8 hours.
how much sleep should a person get at the age of 50.
I used to have problems sleeping,but now I sleep a good full eight hours! Before going to bed I take a teaspoon of black seed oil mixed with one teaspoon of honey in a small glass of warm water just enough to melt the honey and about 1/2 tsp of cinnamon,give it a real good stir then drink.It works for me.
You cannot have a lot of carbs if you have diabetes. Who, that work, can take an hour during the day to walk. I take 20 minutes during the day and do about 25 minutes of walking around 7pm.
I guess I can join in all the previous members posts too…..I do not sleep well…awake several times a night and I know it has I get……are there any specific foods to help with the problem?
bettyb
Stress is a big reason that a person doesn’t sleep well also. My husband has been deployed for 8 months now and I have seen a SERIOUS change in my sleeping patterns. I just hope getting out and doing more physical activity and eating a proper diet will help me to not only lose weight but also gain back my sleeping patterns. I am lucky to get 2 hours a day/night, which is taking a toll on my body. I been fighting bronchitis for 2 months!
Hi, I cannot sleep at night. This has been going on for 20 years or more. Have to take several sleeping pills at night. Even one per night of the strongest that the doctors can give, does not help. I just cant fall asleep. Can go on and on without sleep. Even started working day and night shifts because I cant sleep. Now I also must use the CPAP machine at night. During 2 days testing at a Sleep Clinic, they recorded that when I do sleep with tablets, I stopped breathing at least 7 times per night ? So I can quit quitely, LOL , joking, but sleep is serious.
Joyce
Since retirement, I am now a night time sleeper, get 8-9 hours of rest and have found weight loss easier and cravings easier to deal with.
I was a “late night” teen and got significantly less than 8 hours of sleep a night and gained weight continuously. I was also a night worker given to using the day time hours for education rather than sleep, compounding the damage. There were times when I went up to 36 hours without sleep to accomplish personal education goals. I worked nights for over 37 years, and maxed out at 245#.
I gained my weight when I was put into a desk job for the last 3 years at work from a walking job. This interfered with my sleep so much that I had to get a CPAP breathing assist machine at night. I just retired so when I get up in the morning now I go out the door and walk briskly for 2 hours. Hope this will decrease my weight and cure my sleep apnea.
Does it affect the fact that i work from 3am to 7am? is there any difference between sleeping during the day than during the night? if i sleep my 8 hrs during the day, then im good? i really would like to know that
what about over 20, or over 60, how much sleep do we need?
Wow. That make a lot of sense. Sleep is my number one problem. I am an insomniac due to PTSD/MST. Sleep is very valuable to me because it is something I don’t get much of at night. I find myself going back to bed when the kids are in school for about 2 Hours Because I cant get a good night sleep. Are there any suggestions for me to be able to sleep better without taking pills of some kind. I have rumitory arthritis and use a walker to get around. So physical activity is hard to come by as well.