Sleep Your Way to Weight Loss?

Oct. 18, 2005 -- Getting a good night's rest could help you lose weight.

Eight hours of sleep per night might be ideal, researchers report.

They studied 323 men and 417 women in Canada's Quebec province. Those who reported sleeping seven to eight hours per night were leaner than those who noted five or six hours of nightly sleep.

The study was presented at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity's annual scientific meeting held in Vancouver, Canada.

The researchers included Jean-Philippe Chaput, a doctoral candidate in kinesiology at Laval University in Quebec City.

Slumber Study

Participants completed surveys about their sleep habits. They also took blood tests that screened for leptin, a hormone involved in regulating hunger.

The researchers estimated how much leptin participants should have, based on body fat.

Leptin is a hormone that is made predominately in fat cells. The amount of leptin in the blood is proportional to the amount of body fat. It is thought to decrease appetite. However, most obesity is characterized by resistance to leptin and its appetite-suppressing effect.

Participants who reported less sleep tended to have lower leptin levels than predicted. That might mean that their bodies weren't using leptin very efficiently.

Our bodies and behavior are complicated. So it's not as simple as saying, "Less sleep, less leptin, more hunger, more eating, more weight, more fat."

Instead, it may be more like a jumbled knot -- tackle one thread, and another may bunch up. So sleep may not fix weight problems all by itself. Don't expect it to overrule the calories you eat and burn during the day.

But there are still plenty of reasons to get enough sleep.

For starters, driving while drowsy is a hazard to yourself and everyone on the road. That dragged-out feeling can dull your entire day, too.

Easier Said Than Done?

Sleep sounds lovely, you say, but it's just not happening.

Sometimes, we skimp on sleep because we're burning both ends of the candle with work, school, or family demands. In other cases, sleep problems are signs of other medical problems. For instance, depression can wreck sleep (by causing either too much or too little slumber).

Lack of sleep isn't always that complicated. For some, it's a matter of breaking that late-night TV habit and turning in earlier.

Here are some "sleep hygiene" rules that may help you get adequate sleep:

• Get up at the same time every day (including weekends).
• Get as much light as you can during your desired waking hours.
• Go to bed at night only when you think you can fall asleep.
• If you're having trouble sleeping, minimize daytime naps.
• Make the bedroom dark. Get heavy drapes, if necessary.
• Minimize caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, especially before bedtime.
• Exercise regularly, but not too close to bedtime.
• Unwind for an hour first. Try taking a warm bath, journaling, switching off the news, or drinking some warm milk.
• Make your bedroom a sanctuary. Keep the bills, work, etc., out.

Remember, kids need more sleep than adults to be at their best.