Does Sleep Loss Cause Weight Gain?
Chris D. Meletis, ND (with permission from cpmedical.net, access pin: 587556)
We’ve become a society that sleeps less and weighs more. Researchers are beginning to believe that these two coinciding states are not a coincidence since science is beginning to unravel a link between sleep loss and weight gain. Furthermore, this trend for shorter sleep duration has developed over the same time period as the dramatic increase in the prevalence of obesity and diabetes.1
Sleep is involved in the optimal health of many bodily systems, including the digestive, immune and cardiovascular systems. Yet, in the hectic pace of modern-day society, where we feel as if we don’t have enough hours in the day, many people have come to consider sleep almost optional. Others suffer from sleep disorders such as insomnia—difficulty in falling or staying asleep—and sleep apnea, a disorder characterized by the cessation of breathing or in some cases underbreathing during periods throughout sleep. Apnea results in the afflicted individual suffering from reduced oxygen levels (hypoxia). I describe to my patients the importance of sleep with the simple observation that the first four letters of the word “Restoration” are REST. When one “restores” something, they bring it into its original pristine state; it is sleep (rest) that allows the body to heal and maintain wellness.
