You are counting calories but are you counting Z’s?

Sleep is VITAL in a healthy weight loss protocol. A new study funded by the National Institutes of Health showed that “recurrent bedtime restriction” affected the amount of weight people lost when dieting, along with its affects on ghrelin serum concentrations.

10 overweight nonsmoking adults were used in the study; participants slept for 8.5 hours or 5.5 hours a night and were monitored by a sleep laboratory.  Further controls maintained that the individuals in the study were sedentary and spent their time doing home office work.

Reducing sleep decreased the proportion of fat loss by 55%!!!!!

The results also showed that less sleep resulted in increased hunger and lower resting metabolic rate. The hormone ghrelin was elevated in people who got less sleep. This hormone has been shown to reduce energy expenditure (burn fewer calories), stimulate hunger (making you eat more) along with promoting the retention of fat and increasing glucose production.

Weight loss is something we all strive for, some want to lose 5lbs others want to lose much more. The best and healthiest way of losing weight is to make lifestyle changes. Exercise, diet, sleep and attitude all are vital to the success of your weight loss program. Too few calories and too little sleep will deter any positive health changes including weight loss. The body needs calories to maintain all of its metabolic processes, too few calories and the body thinks it is in starvation mode. When the body feels as though it is in starvation it will hold on to all calories, fat, energy that it can because it does not know when it is going to get the next meal.

Do you need help losing weight or maintaining your weight? Please give us a call 916.351.9355 and see how naturopathic medicine can help you with your weight loss goal.

Anita M. Larrow