Lack of Sleep May Be Responsible for Weight Gain

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Have you been getting your recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night? If not, here’s a new reason to catch up on those z’s: a study published by the University of Colorado at Boulder shows that sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain.

In all fairness, the study was conducted on preschoolers (ages 3 and 4). But that doesn’t mean the results aren’t relevant to older age groups. The study revealed that sleep-deprived preschoolers ingested about 20% more calories than normal. The preschoolers also consumed 25% more sugar and 26% more carbohydrates.

The next day, the children were granted as much sleep as they wanted. Researchers found that on this “recovery day” the preschoolers’ sugar and carbohydrate consumption returned to normal. However, they still ingested 14% more calories and 23% more fat than usual.

Assistant Professor Monique LeBourgeois, lead author of the study, hopes that her latest research will provide answers to the obesity epidemic plaguing the United States.

"We found that sleep loss increased the dietary intake of preschoolers on both the day of and the day after restricted sleep," said LeBourgeois. “We think one of the beauties of this study is that parents were given no instructions regarding the kind or amount of food or beverages to provide their children."

The latest study comes at a time when the CDC estimates that more than a third of U.S. children and adults are either overweight or obese. While similar studies have been conducted in the past, this will be the first study to examine the effect that sleep has on eating habits in preschool children.

That’s not to say there aren’t issues with the study. For example, only five boys and five girls were studied—an incredibly small number to draw conclusions from. Additionally, since parents were in charge of tracking their children’s eating habits while they were at home, there’s no real way to verify the accuracy of those recordings.

With that being said, the study still reinforces the importance of sleep. Whether it’s for weight loss purposes or not, getting enough sleep is a cornerstone to good health.

Why You Definitely Need More Sleep

Well, for one thing, sleep is amazing! It’s one of my favorite states of being. If you’re a busy person with lots of responsibilities and places to be, it’s likely that you’re not getting all of that delicious sleep you need. As we’re about to start a brand new year, now is a great time to put sleep higher up on your priority list. You’ll be glad you did in the long run: sleep helps heal you, body and mind; it helps ward off disease; and it’s an important part of aging well! Here are some suggestions about getting better sleep, and why you need it.

How much sleep is necessary? 
Depending on where you are in life, the amount of sleep you need may change. If you have school-age children, the Sleep Foundation recommends that they get between 9 and 11 hours of sleep per night. Teenagers should get between 8 and 10 hours, and for pretty much everyone over 18, the suggested range is 7-9 hours of sleep. But too many people just don’t get enough, and it’s estimated that 100,000 traffic accidents and 1,500 deaths are the result of sleep deprivation every year. Yikes!

What’s so great about getting enough sleep? 
Everything! The right amount of good sleep contributes to overall better health, better mood, and better physical fitness. Insufficient or poor sleep can sometimes lead to serious problems like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. More, getting enough sleep can help ease chronic pain because your body has more time to heal. Some researchers even think that getting good sleep can supplement medication for pain.

Personally, I’ve found this to be true as well. When I’m not getting enough sleep, the chance that I’ll wake up with a migraine is significantly higher—so getting in a full night of beauty rest ensures that my days are happier, less painful, and more efficient.

How can I sleep better? 
Getting enough sleep isn’t necessarily just about the hours: it also has a lot to do with the quality of sleep you’re getting. This is why it’s so important to make sleep a priority! Do your best to get a good sleep schedule going that allows you to go to bed when you’re tired, and stick with it. It’s also important that you find the right sleep environment for you: the right amount of light or darkness, sound, temperature, and your bed all play an important role. Be mindful of what you eat and drink before bed, too.

So start the New Year by deciding how much sleep you should be getting and creating a plan to make it work! Sleep is the great equalizer, so make sure you’re getting your equal share!

How Many ZZZs Do You Really Need?

What's the purrrrfect amount of sleep?
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How many hours of sleep do you get each night? How much would you get if you didn’t have to set your alarm clock each morning? As a society, we’ve come to believe the ideal amount of sleep per night is 8 hours for adults. I’ll be the first to say that if I sleep without interruption, I tend to go for nine hours, meaning my sleep cycles are likely each 3 hours long or 4.5 hours long.

“Everyone is different,” is the phrase I generally go to when talking about how much sleep people “need” to get on average each night. But there’s some interesting new research being done that is suggesting the “eight hours” rule might not actually be the ideal amount of sleep.

In general, Americans these days are getting fewer hours of shuteye than in the past, and several studies over the past few decades have suggested that seven hours is the optimal amount of sleep for cognitive and physical health.

For example, the University of California San Diego conducted a six-year-long study involving over a million people and concluded that the optimal amount of sleep per night is between 6.5 and 7.4 hours. The researchers say that those who tended to sleep between those amounts had a lower mortality rate than those who got either more or less sleep on average. The study controlled for 32 different health factors and was published in 2002.

Of course, many experts have pointed out potential flaws in the research, such as whether it factored in illnesses, human error in self-monitoring for sleep times, and genetic differences and predispositions. One study found that skipping out on even a little extra sleep (20 minutes) could impair memory and overall performance. Too much sleep, however, has been associated with a wide variety of health problems—like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and higher mortality rates.

“The problem with these studies is that they give you good information about association but not causation,” says Timothy Morgenthaler, who is president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He recommends seven to eight hours of sleep per night, with an evaluation of how you feel individually—because optimal sleep times can vary largely.

One thing is for sure: there’s certainly more research to be done. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has agreed to fund a panel to review and report on all existing sleep research. The panel will be made up of researchers and medical specialists, who are to deliver new recommendations on sleep by 2015.

What do you think about this new research? Are you a tried-and-true 8-hours believer, or do you have a different optimal sleep time? 

Say Bye-Bye to Work Blues

Stress levels at work lately have been skyrocketing all around—and at least for me, stress comes with work blues. By the time Friday hits, I’m ready to run out and never return, and when bedtime arrives on Sunday, I’m never quite ready to finish up the weekend.

This is how I want to feel ALL the time: happy, relaxed, content.
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Don’t get me wrong—I like my job quite a bit. I am constantly learning and there is always something to do. I work with some really awesome people, and I’m happier in this career than I have ever been before. But some mornings, I wake up and wish I could just roll over and forget about work.

Unfortunately, work’s not going to go away—and that means I’ve got to come up with a way to deal with these dang work blues when they come around. I don’t have a perfect solution to workweek blues, but I do have a few suggestions that have helped me in the past:

Resisting the urge to stay up late on Sunday night. As much as I want to get a few more hours of weekend in, it’s usually not a good idea to stay up late and not get enough sleep for Monday. My ideal sleep time is 9 hours, so getting only 6 is a recipe for disaster. Try getting at least 7 hours of sleep on work nights—you’ll be surprised at how much it helps!

Cutting down on binge TV-watching and video games. Don’t get me wrong, I’d LOVE to sit down and watch four episodes of House of Cards in a row, but honestly it’s not worth it. Whenever I use up my entire evening playing video games or watching TV, the time slips by too quickly and I often end up staying up too late. I limit myself to one hour per night.

Make plans during the week. This one is hard for me. The last thing I want to do during the week is add more to my plate, but it really does help give me something to look forward to. It can be a solitary activity (like going to exercise classes or club meetings) or it can be dinner with friends—you choose.

Slow down. As much as I want to get to work, get done, and come home as early as possible, those mornings when I rush myself out of the house and don’t let myself enjoy a good lunch are the worst. Allow yourself even a 15 minute lunch break—away from your workstation—and you’ll be rewarded with less stress and a refreshed mind and body.

What do you do to kick work blues to the curb? I’d love to hear some of your suggestions, tips, and tricks!

Beware the Full Moon?

One study indicates the full moon may have an effect on
our sleep cycles.
Image: Shutterstock

Are you someone who believes in the power of the moon? Can it transform werewolves? Does it mean “big changes” are coming in life? Will it make people act strangely?

Even if those things seem a bit silly to you, there’s one thing that could still be affected by the full moon—whether you believe it or not. Scientists studying the effect of the full moon on our sleep cycles have found evidence that we have a harder time sleeping when the moon is at its brightest.

The researchers studied 33 participants, who slept in a darkened room where the moon was not visible. On the nights when the moon was full, the participants took longer to fall asleep and slept, on average, 20 minutes less than during a new moon.

When there was a full moon, there were lower levels of the Dracula of Hormones, melatonin. As I’ve talked about in previous blog posts, melatonin affects our body’s natural clock and is produced in larger amounts when it is dark. During the full moons of the study, researchers reported lower levels of melatonin in the subjects—despite the fact that the moon wasn’t visible to participants.

Participants had more trouble falling asleep and
staying asleep during the full moon.
Image: Shutterstock

As always, studies should be taken with a grain of salt. This one had a very small test group, and at this point the findings are interesting but inconclusive. Does the moon really mess with our sleep cycles? It’s possible, but more research will need to be done with larger test groups and more targeted testing.

“There is such a strong cultural story around the full moo n that it would not be surprising if it has an effect,” said one expert, according to USA Today. “It’s one of these folk things that you would suspect has a germ of truth.”

What do you think?

Mirror, Mirror on the… Hey, Is That a Wrinkle?!

Wrinkles: at some point in our lives, we’ll all get them. It’s a natural part of aging and goes along with the degradation of collagen in our bodies. And while we will inevitably find more and more wrinkles on our hands and faces as we age, there are a few things research has taught us over the years that may help slowwrinkles down.

Getting wrinkles is a natural part of aging.

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The number one cause of wrinkles is sun. That means if you’re set on spending all summer, every summer out in the sunlight getting your tan on, you’ll likely see more wrinkles sooner than those who work hard to protect their skin. Need proof? Last summer a story was featured on the NY Post about a trucker who spent 28 years on theroad with half his face in the sun. You can literally see the difference sun makes by looking at one half of his face as compared to the other.

Pulling all-nighters takes its toll as well. When your body doesn’t get enough sleep, it produces and excess of cortisol, which breaks down skin cells. When you do get enough sleep, your body produces Human Growth Hormone (HGH) instead, which keeps your skin healthy and thick. Furthermore, if you always sleep on the same side or on your stomach, you may eventually develop permanent sleep lines on your face that don’t go away.

Half of this trucker's face is badly damaged from sun
Image from nypost.com

What you eat affects wrinkles as well. Whole foods boost collagen, while processed and sugary foods do the opposite. Foods like salmon, which contains plenty of fatty acids, helps keep skin supple and smooth. Soy has also been found to help improve firmness. Antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables (especially berries and dark leafy greens) also help fight any skin damage you may have. Green and black teas also include antioxidants to help slow collagen degradation.

Have you ever noticed that men and women who are physically fit seem to age slower? That’s because building muscle tone through strength training and yoga helps prevent sagging and delivers oxygen throughout your body (including to your skin!).

Being happy leads to fewer wrinkles.

Image: Shutterstock

When skin gets dry, it cracks, bleeds—and wrinkles. Drinking enough water keeps skin moisturized and clean. Moisturizers with peptides in them also help keep skin healthy, so check your ingredients list. Moisturizer should be applied just after washing skin because the dampness can help lock in more moisture. If you’ve already noticed some wrinkles appearing, try a retinol cream. Dabbing on a small amount can help repair skin and reduce wrinkles.

Last, but certainly not least, happiness and independence from chemical substances helps prevent wrinkles. Those who smoke or drink alcohol on a regular basis may develop more wrinkles than those who do not. Studies have also indicated that people who are optimistic about life and in a happy relationship also had fewer wrinkles and looked younger.

Why I Eat Whole Fats Over Sugar

I have a confession to make: I don’t buy “low fat” foods. Like, ever. I order my lattes with whole milk and I buy Greek yogurt at the store. When I read the labels on the back of my food, I look for one thing above all else—and unlike many people, it’s not the amount of fat or calories. It’s the sugar content.

Low-fat options often contain more sugar.
Image: Shutterstock

Certainly, I look at other things besides the sugar content (ingredients list and sodium come next), but that’s where I start. As someone who tries to be conscientious about my health and what I feed my body, I find that my main concern when choosing food is how much sugar I’m putting into my body.

Why? Fat has for a considerable amount of time been labeled as the culprit for making people… well, fat. That claim certainly has some basis to it. Fat contains more calories per gram than sugar does and it’s very nutrient dense, which means that large amounts of it can reside in small amounts of food.

That can be both good and bad. “Good” fats reside in many natural foods, like nuts, avocados, seeds, and dairy products. Our bodies need fat to function properly because it helps protect our hearts and organs, feeds our metabolism, and gives us energy. These natural fats also help sustain our bodies for longer and fill us up faster, which means that we can eat smaller portion sizes and last longer on them.

Nuts contain natural "good" fats that our bodies need.
Image: Shutterstock

Sugars can also occur naturally, but that’s not usually what I’m looking for when I read labels. I’m looking for added sugars, like high fructose corn syrup. It’s in an astounding amount of foods (Did you know ketchup has it? How about most Chinese foods?). Unfortunately, the more sweet foods we eat, the more we seem to crave sugar—and unlike natural fats, these calories are empty.

It’s not just a little sugar, either. An Arizona Raspberry Iced Tea contains 66 grams of sugar in a single can. Most sodas have similar amounts. These things often don’t fill us up, either, which means we eat several hundred calories’ worth of sugar only to get hungry again shortly.

Furthermore, daily consumption of sugar forces our bodies to constantly release insulin to manage blood-sugar levels and the storage of sugar. Besides having excess sugar turned into stored (bad) fat, sugar also causes a number of other health problems like tooth decay, iron and magnesium deficiencies, arthritis, sleep problems, digestive problems, and weight gain.

Of course, fat isn’t all good. If you gorge yourself on avocados, nuts, or coconut oil, you’ll probably gain some weight. But the point is, you’re less likely to do that than to overindulge on sugary foods.

Image from sugarstacks.com
Sugar is packed into sweet snacks like soda

One last thought: fat often helps give our foods flavor and substance. For example, I don’t like skim milk in part because it just tastes like water with a tiny bit of milk flavor mixed in. When you take that fat out, most of the time it ends up being replaced with something. Any guesses what that might be?

Bingo. It’s sugar, all right. Low-fat varieties of coffee creamers, flavored milk, and even yogurt often have higher sugar content than whole-fat ones. In my mind, I figure that while one may be higher in fat (and even calories), if it keeps me full for longer, I’ll be less likely to get hungry and have to snack before my next meal.

I don’t deny that there’s merit in watching our fat intake, and I do so especially with processed fats. But I do think that the mentality that “fat” is the main culprit for weight gain is a false one. In our sweet-toothed country, I point my finger at sugar.

Do Late Lunches Mean Less Weight Loss?

Does your lunch time affect weight loss?
Image: Shutterstock

A new study from the International Journal of Obesity hassuggested that those who eat lunch earlier in the day may have better successwith weight loss than those who eat later. The study surveyed a total of 420 people in a weight loss program and found that those who regularly ate lunch before 3 p.m. lost about 25% more weight than those who ate later.

As someone who snacks about every three hours, with slightly larger snacks around breakfast and lunch, missing meals isn’t something I often do. My body is used to having small, constant amounts of food coming in to refuel it—so a late lunch is pretty miserable for me. But others don’t have the same routine as I do—my boss regularly waits until after three to eat and even then it’s just a bowl of ramen noodles (sodium and carbs). For those or you who find yourselves relating to her, I wanted to discuss the implications of eating late.

3 p.m. lunch may bee too long of a wait.
Image: Shutterstock

Numerous studies have been done over the years on the effect of meal times and sizes. Some suggest that the biggest meal should be breakfast, and meals should gradually decline in size, making dinner the smallest. Other studies say that eating every three hours is best for our bodies, as it keeps meals small and generally lighter than a heaping platter. But none of these studies have definitively nailed down the single best pattern. And that includes this one.

When reading into studies, make sure to keep in mind all the variable factors. One such factor to consider is how much time the participants were going between meals. This study doesn’t chart that, but it’s an important consideration to make. One thing we do know about meal times is that when we go too long in between meals, it can affect the metabolism, slowing it and hindering weight loss.

A cute lunch box is essential in life!

Participants also likely had other different behaviors, including the comparison between calories consumed and burned. Not getting enough sleep has also been linked to higher rates of obesity and lower success in weight loss. The researchers themselves have recognized that these findings are preliminary and require further research to determine how much meal-timing influences weight loss.

Certainly, it’s not a bad idea to space your meals out equally and keep your body from going into “starvation” mode. But how much of an impact it actually has remains to be seen. Eating right and exercising regularly are still kings of the weight-loss world. 

Spotlight: Melatonin, the “Dracula of Hormones”

Can melatonin help cure insomnia?
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About a year ago, a co-worker told me that when she had trouble sleeping, she just took a small dose of melatonin and that helped her sleep through the night and wake feeling well rested. I had been having trouble falling asleep at night, and I asked her to tell me more. She told me that melatonin was a natural hormone and was sold over the counter for a relatively inexpensive amount. It sparked my curiosity, but I was too overwhelmed with work at the time to research it further.

I have a good friend who suffers from insomnia. She sometimes goes days without getting more than a few hours of sleep—and not for lack of trying. She often “rests” on days like that, which means she often spends hours lying in bed, exhausted, trying to fall asleep. From time to time I have bouts of sleep trouble as well, tossing and turning for several hours before drifting off into an uncomfortable sleep, only to reawaken a few hours later. As I continued to hear stories from my friend about her inability to sleep, I kept asking myself about melatonin. Finally, I sat down to learn more. Here’s what I discovered:

Image from crystalinks.com

• Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pineal gland in our brains, which is a pea-shaped gland just above the center of our brains. It is produced to help control our sleep cycles, with larger quantities of it being produced starting around 9 PM and lasting until about 9 AM—our natural sleep hours.
• Melatonin is found in some foods naturally, which is why it is the only hormone that the FDA allows to be sold as a dietary supplement.
• Light directly affects how much melatonin our brains produce, which is part of what leads to symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
• Melatonin is generally produced in higher amounts in children and adolescents, with that amount naturally dropping off as we age. Some older adults only make small amounts or none at all.
• Not enough research has been done on melatonin, but scientists are looking into using it as a treatment for SAD, to help control sleep patterns, preventing/reducing sleeping problems after surgery, and reducing chronic clutter headaches.
• It’s possible that melatonin may help slow or even stop the spread of cancer, slow aging, and strengthen the immune system.
• Melatonin seems to help some people struggling with sleep problems, but during formal research it was shown to be ineffective as a sleeping pill. There is evidence, however, that it can help reset our internal clock—though whether it is more effective than light remains to be seen.
• Some research suggests melatonin may help people fall asleep faster. It could also help those working night shifts adjust their schedules. It may also be an effective treatment for jet lag. For the treatment of insomnia, the study results have thus far been inconclusive.

Image from gnc.com

In sum, melatonin may or may not be effective as a sleeping aid. The good news is that there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that use of it could be harmful, so it could be a good option to try if you’re wary of prescription sleeping pills (as I am). Dosage can vary from 0.2 mg to 20 mg, though, so if you’re considering giving it a go, you should discuss dosage with your doctor first.