Not enough sleep = trouble losing weight?

[Hillbeans]

I've heard on the news that there have been "studies" which show that if you're sleep deprived that it's harder to lose weight, even if you're on a diet.

Does anyone know of such a study?

A few mom friends and I were talking about this subject and one of them said to me that she wasn't able to lose the last of her baby weight until she was sleeping through the night on a regular basis.

I guess this could be said for anyone who doesn't get much sleep - not just mom's with babies, but I was wondering if anyone here has had a similar issue with this or has ever heard of such a thing before?

 

[disykat]

I have heard of that. It seems like it was a news item recently.

My own experience is different. The only time in my life I had weight falling off me is when I was caring for a very colicky infant and got very little sleep. Staying up all night pacing and jiggling the baby uses up a lot more calories than sleeping!

 

[hydster]

Yes it's been reported by MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14884953/

People who slept less than six hours a night experienced an increase in their body mass index (height-to-weight ratio) more than those who slept seven to eight hours.

Women who slept five hours a day, or less, gained more weight than those who slept seven hours a day, according to a 16-year study.

People who slept less than eight hours a day had larger increases in body fat than those who slept more.

Another contributing factor that they have talked about is increased cortisol levels in your body can also add weight to your stomach that is nearly impossible to get off. If you are under stress or don't sleep enough your adrenal glands can create more cortisol than you need and make it harder to lose weight as well.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=53304

 

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

Whoo Hooo... at last an excuse. Seriously, between not sleeping well for YEARS and stress, I'll never lose a lb. I have gained about 30 lbs in the last 6 years and it all started when I started having major trouble sleeping. This is an interesting study.