Our body requires sleep and rest after the strain and continuous stimulation that it endures during the hours when we are awake. Sleep should be recognized as a required activity and not an option.
It has been observed in the recent times that owing to many reasons like work overload, use of gadgets and continuous connectivity to the world, sleep deprivation has become a lifestyle.
As a result, fatigue increases, leading to an unhealthy weight gain.
Despite the notion that sleep needs reduce with age, grown-ups still need seven to eight hours of sleep daily. Sleep requirements do vary slightly from person to person, however anything less than seven hours could lead to problems related to sleep deprivation.
Sleep deprivation, specifically decrease in Rapid Eye Movement or REM sleep, is directly related to weight gain.
REM sleep is the phase of sleep in which there is greater brain activity and less muscle activity. This is the stage when a person dreams.
Non-REM sleep is divided into four phases:
- Phase-1 is the stage between wake and sleep where the person has his eyes closed but if awakened, will feel that he has not slept.
- Phase-2 is the stage of light sleep where the heart rate slows and the body temperature decreases, and the body prepares to enter deep sleep.
- Phase-3 and Phase-4 are the deep sleep stages, also known as delta sleep. These are the restorative stages, when the body replenishes itself, builds bones and muscles, and releases certain hormones.
Sleep Apnea: Recent studies point to the relation between certain sleep disorders like sleep apnea and obesity in adults. Sleep apnea is a condition wherein the person stops breathing for some time due to some obstruction in their nasal passage.
It has been observed that sleep apnea is more common in men who are overweight. People who are over 40 years of age, or having a family history of sleep apnea are also at a greater risk of being affected.
If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, or stroke. A person suffering from sleep apnea or other sleep disorders are generally unable to enter the deep of sleep that is the most restoring part of the sleep cycle, and hence may gain weight.
Hormones related to appetite: Leptin and Ghrelin are hormones that are related to feelings of hunger and post-meal satisfaction. Leptin decreases appetite while ghrelin increases appetite.
When you suffer from chronic sleep deprivation, ghrelin levels increase and leptin levels decrease, thus causing the appetite, and consequently the food intake, to increase. As a result, in spite of following a healthy diet or exercising regularly, the person gains weight leading to obesity.
Treatment and therapy: Regular exercise as well as reducing the intake of alcohol, caffeine and tobacco may improve your quality of sleep. If youare gaining weight regardless of following a healthy diet or regular exercise, it is possible that the culprit is your lack of sleep.
It is important to diagnose for possible sleep disorders without delay and find out ways to correct them before it is too late. One method is to visit a sleep lab where brain activity can be monitored while you sleep.
A therapy or combination of therapies may be required for sleep apnea. In case any obstructions are causing sleep apnea, surgery may be required to remove them. Sleep medications also may help improve the quality of sleep that you get.
Sudden and unhealthy weight gain, without apparent reason and despite your best efforts, may be caused by sleep deprivation. It is not advisable to leave the condition unchecked as it could lead to serious health hazards.