Exercise is important for weight control, but there’s growing evidence that sleep is too. A number of recent studies have shown that skimping on sleep is a barrier to weight loss. When you sleep too little, less than seven hours a night, it impacts levels of appetite hormones like leptin and ghrelin that affect how much you eat. Now, a new study suggests that men and women may respond differently from a hormonal standpoint when they get too little sleep.
Lack of Sleep and Energy Balance
According to a new study published in the journal Sleep, women have a different response to short periods of sleep than men. When researchers looked at levels of hormones that impact appetite, they found that ghrelin levels rose in men but not women when they skimped on sleep, getting four hours of sleep a night as opposed to nine. Ghrelin is a hormone produced by the lining of the stomach. It sends a signal to your brain that strongly stimulates your desire to eat. Based on this, men have a more robust appetite when they don’t sleep enough.
Even though their ghrelin levels don’t skyrocket when they sleep too little, women don’t get off scot-free. Instead, they experience a decline in GLP-1, a hormone released by intestinal cells 20 to 30 minutes after a meal that signals satiety. This means they feel less full at mealtime since the satiety signal is blunted. Instead of stopping after one plate, a GLP-1 challenged woman is more likely to head back to the kitchen to refill her plate again.
The results of this study suggest that not sleeping enough influences food intake differently based on a person’s sex. Men are more likely to feel the appetite-stimulating effects of ghrelin, running to the kitchen for a snack too often, while women are more likely to increase the amount they eat at a meal because their GLP-1 levels are low. Even though different hormones are impacted differently in men and women, skimping on sleep still leads to the same end result – an increase in appetite and food intake.
Inadequate Sleep Increases the Risk of Other Health Problems
Even if you don’t increase your sleep time to help control your weight, there are other reasons to get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Not sleeping enough, less than 7 hours a night may boost your risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and premature death, based on current research. That sounds like a pretty good reason to make sure you’re spending enough time in dreamland.
Unfortunately, we’re a nation of short sleepers. With so much to do, sleep becomes the first thing that people cut back on to “get it all done,” and even people who turn in to bed early can have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, especially women.
Tips for Getting More Quality Sleep
You’ll be healthier, have a lower risk of certain health problems and reduce your risk for weight gain by spending at least seven, and preferably, eight hours sleeping each night. Here are some tips for getting more quality sleep:
Stop drinking caffeine by noon. The effects of caffeine can last from 8 to 12 hours, depending on how rapidly you metabolize it. Skip the coffee in the afternoon and sip herbal tea instead.
Don’t watch television or spend time in front of a computer screen past 8:00 P.M. at night. Light blocks the release of melatonin, a hormone produced by a tiny gland in your brain called the pineal gland, which impacts sleep.
Sleep in a completely dark room with no visible light, including light from electronic clocks, etc. Any light in your room when you sleep can reduce melatonin levels and make it harder to sleep.
If you have trouble sleeping at night because you’re a “worrier,” bone up on deep breathing techniques or learn how to meditate or use guided imagery to control the thoughts that run through your mind and keep you from falling asleep. It can also help to take a warm bath with a soothing scent like lavender to help you unwind.
Most importantly, make sleep a priority. It should be – for your health and for controlling your weight.
References:
Medical News Today. “Lack of Sleep Leaves Men Hungrier, Prevents Women Feeling Full”
Diabetes. December 2006 vol. 55 no. Supplement 2 S70-S77.
Eur Heart J (2011) doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehr007.
