Message is My last blog discussed methods of weight loss. But, what I didn’t address is how other factors play into weight gain. One of these is sleep…or lack of it.

There have been many articles written in recent months about how Americans are sleeping less than we used to.

Seven to eight hours is the amount that most adults need to fully rejuvenate both body and mind. Yet, one study, reported in the National Geographic news of February 2005, shows that Americans are sleeping a full hour less than we did as recently as twenty to thirty years ago.This same article reports that the cost of this lack of sleep, in added health care costs, is as much as $15 billion and perhaps as much as $50 billion in lost productivity.

These are staggering amounts of money. But the cost in health and quality of life are immeasurable. All animals need sleep to repair damage done to our physical systems. Without adequate sleep our immune system becomes compromised and less effective, body temperature can decrease, and blood pressure may even rise. There is also an association between diminished sleep and diabetes.

So, how does this relate to weight management and specifically weight gain?

There are two hormones that control appetite in the human body: ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is made in the GI system and stimulates appetite, while leptin is produced in fat cells and signals to the brain the feeling of fullness. Thus, they work together as a sort of  biological checks and balances. With sleep loss, ghrelin production increases and leptin decreases. Thus, when we sleep less, we are often dramatically hungrier than we might otherwise be, and it becomes difficult to be sated. This leads to overeating. Too many sleepless nights can lead to weight gain.

So, one way to help keep weight under control is to get a good night’s sleep. It won’t do it by itself of course, but proper sleep will help, along with proper nutrition and exercise, maintain a healthy weight.