Sleep Wellness

Can't Shed Extra Pounds? A Good Night's Sleep May Help!

To lose weight seems to be the most popular New Year's resolution year after year, yet nine in 10 of those resolutions will end in little or no success. Some people even gain weight instead. Unfortunately, most people never recognize one of the most common contributing factors to their weight problem: they don't sleep well.

Studies published in The Journal of the American Medical Association suggest that sleep loss may increase hunger and affect the body's metabolism. Simply stated, a lack of sleep can affect your ability to lose and maintain weight.

Sleep deprivation can make you feel hungry even if you are full. Sleep loss has been shown to affect the secretion of cortisol, a hormone that regulates appetite. As a result, individuals who lose sleep may continue to feel hungry despite adequate food intake.

Lack of sleep can also increase fat storage. Sleep loss may interfere with the body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates, which leads to high levels of blood sugar. Excess blood sugar promotes the overproduction of insulin, which can lead to the storage of body fat as well as insulin resistance, a critical step into the development of diabetes.

What's the No.1 cause of sleep deprivation? A worn-out mattress. Most mattresses wear out after nine or 10 years of use. If you wake up feeling stiff and sore, or if you aren't sleeping as well as you were a year ago, it may be time for a new mattress. A good mattress should gently support all points of your body, provide enough room to move freely and enable you to enjoy a good night's sleep.