Studies Identify Relationships Between Sleep and Weight Gain (Part 2)
September 6th, 2008 by Go Weblog
In part one of this series, we discussed a relationship between sleep and weight, and three hormones that had serious implications when it comes to weight loss or gain. Two hormones were discussed in part one of this series (leptin and cortisol) and today we are going to discuss the third, human growth hormone (HGH).
A 1999 study published in “The Lancet” followed a group of young men who were limited to just 4 hours of sleep for sixteen straight days had increased levels of cortisol - which slows metabolism and causes fat to be stored - and decreased levels of leptin - which cause a “satisfied” feeling when the body has consumed enough food.
As a follow up to this study, Eve Van Cauter (the head researcher) looked more deeply into the effects of sleep deprivation on the body’s chemistry - particularly as it pertains to weight loss or gain. The results of the follow up study were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2000.
The follow up study looked at the phases of sleep that a person experiences and how those phases change as a person gets older. It seems that as men age, they experience less “deep sleep” than when they were younger. Women, on the other hand, experience about the same amount of “deep sleep” throughout their lives, until after menopause when their sleep patterns more closely match that of a similarly aged male.
So what, you ask, does that have to do with weight gain or loss? The answer varies whether you are a male or a female, and has to do with the third hormone we will discuss: human growth hormone. HGH, as it is commonly called, is secreted into the blood stream for the purpose of repairing muscle and tissue. If you are exercising, you are actually damaging your muscles by creating tiny tears in the tissues. This is how we gain lean muscle. We break down the muscle when we exercise, and then we rebuild it at night while we sleep.
Men secrete two-thirds of their HGH during the periods of “deep sleep” and women secrete one-third of thiers. If you are robbing yourself of valuable sleep, you aren’t getting to the point where HGH is getting into your blood stream. The less “deep sleep” that a person experiences, the less HGH that is available to build lean muscle.
What makes this worse is that the study found (at least for men) that even if they get the same number of hours of sleep as a younger man, they still get less “deep sleep” than their younger counterparts. Van Cauter’s research showed that a 45-year-old man’s HGH production will have decreased by 75% as compared to a 25-year-old.
Since the odds are stacked against us as we get older, what are we to do? As you may be aware, the body is an efficient and hard-working machine. It has three major processes that operate over the course of the day. We work (exercise), we make energy (digest) and we repair (sleep), just not all at once. Each of the processes requires too much energy to be efficiently performed while another is being completed. If you don’t believe me, eat a big meal and go run for two hours.
The body was designed to fuel and then work and then refuel and work some more, and then repair itself overnight. The more HGH that is released into the blood stream, the more muscle repair, and even lean muscle gain, takes place. Two things that we can do to help stack the odds in our favor are to make time for exercise and sleep, and to supplement with time release whey protein before sleep.
Supplementing with whey protein (such as NightTrainer, http://www.nighttrainer.com) puts the building blocks of muscle (protein and amino acids) into your body so that they’re available to help the HGH build more lean muscle. (An added benefit I’ve noticed is that because it comes in chocolate and vanilla flavor, I can avoid eating dessert when I’m craving something sweet late at night, knowing I’ll soon be enjoying my protein drink.)
As has been chronicled here and myriad other texts, building lean muscle is exactly what one needs to do in order to win the battle of the bulge. Sweet dreams!
Michael Callen is the author of the Weekly Weightloss Tips Newsletter (http://www.weeklyweightlosstips.com) and the Chief Technology Officer for WellnessPartners.com (http://www.WellnessPartners.com), an online retailer of dozens of health and wellness products such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), r+ alpha lipoic acid (R+ ALA), and green tea extract.
Tags: ALA, CLA, diet, fat loss, green tea, humor, hydrate, kidney, liver, metabolism, obese, sleep, water, weight lossLose Weight With Me For 2006
August 20th, 2008 by Go Weblog
“Fat Pig” , “Beached Whale!” I’m tired of it all. I’m too much of a coward to kill myself so I guess I must change and the first way I need to change is to say goodbye to my best friend of 40 years: Junk food. Yes, at 350 pounds I have reached my Epiphany! I need; no I WANT to lose weight! Before it kills me. I can just see my funeral with all of my best friends drawing straws to see who will NOT be my poll bearers! “Not me, got a bad back!” etc. It’s time. Now if anyone wants to join me(and I can’t believe anyone would WANT to join me) I will be writing a weekly article here to walk(ugh) through my triumphs and tragedies with you.
We WILL lose weight! I am tired of being a “Fat person”. The first assignment, since we don’t officially begin until next Monday(1/1/06) Is to write down all of the foods that are good for you that you like. Next you will write down all of the snack foods that have stopped you from losing weight before. Then you will write down all of the exercizes that you can still do, and all of the activities that you would like to do if you were able to. That should provide motivation enough for us to begin our journey together. Someone once wrote that no one knows more about dieting and exercize than fat people!
I agree with that so I won’t be instructing anyone about anything except what you probably already have read and heard. Besides I am no doctor(I don’t even play one on TV). I will just be here to share with all of you the struggle to survive without feeling like it is not worth it. You see it is about replacing what you have (food and some lack of self) with confidence and food. (Sounds weird but you notice you still have food) In my Bio I noted that God is one of my interests. Well from time to time i may use a reference from the Bible because I really can’t live without referencing His Word.
The devil gave Eve a choice a long time ago. He promised her a choice between good and evil. And to know the difference. But what it doesn’t say is that they already KNEW GOOD! They KNEW GOD! I am telling you that you know the difference, you know what to do, and now it is time to choose good. Choose to live and choose life. You don’t have to “give up’ or ‘deprive yourself” of anything that is good. The devil made some things “LOOK GOOD” I’m saying you know what to do and it is time. Now is the time to change your life for the better. You need to do it, and if you are reading this, you need to do it now.
Alan (Bud) Speaker is a complex, compassionate caring man who, at almost 50 years old (3/13/56) is by most people’s description either “heavy, fat, obese jocular, and in this holiday season, Santaesque.” He has been interested in reading and writing and words all of his life but has only started seriously writing since the turn of the century. (sounds longer than 5 years). His interests are God, self improvement, family, sports and creative writing, although not always in that order. Bud has written poetry, short stories, television dramas and short plays although only the poems have been published. Bud’s goal for this year is to lose weight and write about it. Also he wants to finish writing the one book he was meant to write about: Streetball in his hometown of Philadelphia.
Tags: Christ, Christian, confidence, diet, fat, God, how to, obese, resolution, skinny, weight lossCut the Calories 3 Easy Methods
August 9th, 2008 by Go Weblog
Here are a couple of quick and easy ways to reduce the calories your child consumes:
Change to diet drinks
When I counsel my patients and their families, I stress the importance of making small changes slowly to maximize your chances of long-term success. A relatively small change that offers great rewards is simply changing from regular sugared drinks to sugar-free.
Every 8-12 ounce serving of a sugared drink (like regular soda, juices, powdered flavored drinks, etc.) contains 140 to 180 calories. Four sugared drinks can have as many calories as a Big Mac!
Only eat at the table
Most junk food snacking is done either on the couch or on the run. Make a rule that all food must be eaten while seated at the table.
If your child is watching television and wants a snack, she’ll have to get up and eat in the kitchen. This can translate into less snacking as well as less time in front of the tube.
Drink lots of water
Have your child drink a glass of water just before sitting down to eat snacks and meals.
Drinking a glass of water first will help the stomach send your child the “I’m full” signal quicker and should cut down on second and third helpings.
Cutting out needless calories is a great first step in helping your child achieve longer term goals of weight control and physical fitness. Make sure that you discuss any weight management program with your health care professional.
Michael P. Scaccia, MD, FAAP is a physician, author,
speaker, and child health expert whose goal is to help
families live healthier and more satisfying lives. For
more information, go to:
http://www.UltimateParentGuide.com
Would you like a speaker who is knowledgeable, dynamic, and
entertaining? Dr. Scaccia speaks on a variety of child health
topics. For more information, send an email to:
speaking@ultimateparentguide.com
Tags: calorie, child, diet, health, healthy, kid, nutrition, obese, obesity, over weight, overweight