With the arrival of the New Year, many of us will still be faced with feeling as though there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. Between work responsibilities,
personal obligations, social events and family commitments, there’s no shortage of demands for our finite hours each day.
Many people view sleep as simply a “down time,” when the brain shuts off and the body rests. When you underestimate the value of good sleep, it’s easy to justify sacrificing a
few hours of sleep to complete mounting daily tasks.
Each year, research continues to emerge that highlights how important it is to get a good night’s sleep. Not only is your health and quality of life linked to sleep, but your
weight status is also impacted by the number of hours of sleep you receive.
New Year’s Weight Loss
If one of your New Year Resolutions is to lose weight, you may want to take some time to examine your sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the recommendation for
sleep is between 7-9 hours for adults. The Nurses’ Health Study, which followed 68,000 middle-age American women for 16 years is considered the longest and largest study on adult
sleep habits and weight. The study found that compared to women who slept seven hours a night, women who slept five hours or less were 15 percent more likely to become obese
over the course of the study.
The Sleep-Weight Connection
1. Increases hunger – Sleep plays an important role in appetite, energy use, and weight control. A lack of sleep causes the production of the hormone ghrelin, an appetite
stimulant, to increase, while causing the appetite suppressor hormone, leptin, to decrease. Therefore, we are left feeling hungrier during the day. This can make it difficult to
regulate appetite and may lead to weight gain over time.
2. More time in the day to eat – The less people sleep, the more likely they are to crave foods that are higher in carbohydrates and calories. Over time, consumption
of these foods can lead to weight gain. In addition, if you are only sleeping for five hours, you are up and awake for more hours of the day and may be more inclined to eat more or
include more snacks.
3. Decrease in physical activity – People who don’t get an adequate night’s sleep tend to feel tired or fatigued during the day. As a result, they may be less inclined
to engage in any beneficial physical activity.
Getting a head start on better New Year’s sleep begins with identifying the appropriate mattress and pillow. Darvin Furniture has a huge selection of mattresses and pillows that
can be expertly paired with your sleep habits and preferred sleep positions in order to optimize the quality sleep you get every night.
*Resources: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, National Sleep Foundation; Erica Lokshin, MS, RDN, LDN, Registered Dietitian/Health Coach