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By Melissa Tennen, HealthAtoZ writer
If you aren't catching up on some zzz's, obesity and disease may be catching up to you.
Lack of sleep can affect the processing of food, the function of your heart, whether or not you gain weight and your chances for diabetes.
We need eight hours' sleep at night for a reason. It keeps us alert and makes certain processes in our bodies work.
Over time, a lack of sleep catches up with us and may cause our bodies to break down. People who don't get enough sleep actually appear to age faster.
Diabetes
Lack of sleep affects insulin levels. Insulin helps sugar get into your cells. This sugar fuels your body.
In a University of Chicago study, a group of men were limited to four hours of sleep per night for six nights. After breakfast, their blood sugar levels shot up much higher than in people who'd had a full night's sleep. The insulin released in their bodies was 40 percent slower. This is similar to pre-diabetes - a condition that precedes full-blown diabetes.
Harvard researchers who studied 70,000 women over 10 years found that those sleeping fewer than eight hours a night were more likely to develop diabetes.
Weight
A lack of sleep may affect other hormones. Levels of leptin, which tells your brain when you're full, tend to fall off when you aren't getting enough sleep.
The hormone ghrelin increases your appetite. Scientists at Stanford University and University of Wisconsin studied 1,000 people and found that those who slept fewer than eight hours a night had higher body mass indexes (a measure of body fat) than those functioning on a full night's sleep. They also had higher levels of ghrelin and lower levels of leptin, which increased their hunger.
Lack of sleep causes cortisol - the stress hormone - to rise. The body then makes more insulin than you need.
When low on sleep, you may turn to food for an energy boost. You crave that quick source of energy that junk food can provide. This fleeting rise in blood sugar may wake you up, but the extra calories are often stored as fat.
Heart disease
A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine revealed that women between 45 and 65 years of age who slept five hours or less a night were nearly 40 percent more likely to have heart problems than women who got eight full hours.
During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, your blood pressure rises and your heart beats faster. Just before you awaken, stress hormones flood your body. If you have heart problems, this stress may affect your heart. When you're low on sleep, this stress can be even worse.
Sleep tips
- Go to bed and awaken at the same time every day, including weekends.
- Have a relaxing bedtime routine - take a hot bath and read a book or listen to music.
- Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool. Use a sleeping mask and earplugs.
- Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows.
- Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex.
- Finish eating at least two to three hours before retiring.
- Exercise regularly. Complete your workout at least a few hours before bed.
- Don't have caffeine or alcohol close to bedtime.
- Don't smoke. Nicotine can interfere with sleep.
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External Sources
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National Sleep Foundation
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American Institute for Cancer Research
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Ayas, N., White, D., Al-Delaimay, W., Manson, J., Stampfer, M., Patel, S., et al. (2003). A prospective study of self-reported sleep duration and incident diabetes in women. Diabetes Care:26:380-384.
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Vorona, R., Winn, M., Babineau, T., Eng, B., Feldman H., Ware, J. (2005). Overweight and obese patients in a primary care population report less sleep than patients with a normal body mass index. Arch Intern Med,165:25-30.
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Taheri, S., Lin, L., Austin D., Young, T., Mignot, E. Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin, elevated ghrelin and increased body mass index. PLoS Med 1(3):e62.
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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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