Lack of Sleep can Pack on the Pounds

People from all areas of the globe, especially in America, are sleeping less. This lack of sleep mentality has pervaded the American society and seems to be getting worse. While we may accomplish more tasks on our "to-do" list, we may be adding more pounds to our waistline as a result.

Did you know that your hormones play a role in your weight loss and gain? The hormones called Ghrelin and Leptin are the hormones that can either cause you to gain or lose weight. Ghrelin stimulates your appetite while leptin helps to control your appetite. Leptin is your friend as it tells you when you are full.

Guess what happens to these hormones when you don't get enough shut eye? They are affected in a way that is disastrous to your waist line. When you don't get enough sleep your body responds by producing more appetite inducing Ghrelin hormone. This means that you will not only be tired, but have an increased appetite ast well.

Plus, when you do eat it will take you longer to feel full and satisfied. This is due to the fact that the amount of leptin hormone in your system has decreased. This wreaks havoc on your waistline as you eat more and more to feel full.

Don't think that your hormones have a great effect on the size of your pants? Think about this: there is a link between obesity and lack of sleep. This link is not a nice one. In fact, the link has been found to pair together obesity and lack of sleep in Americans. This link was found by Standford University and the University of Wisconsin.

How can lack of sleep add pounds to your waistline. Don't you burn more calories while you are awake? Yes, you do burn more calories while awake then sleeping. However, the you often eat sugary snack foods when you could be sleeping. These calories overshadow the fact that you are awake. This is due to the decrease of leptin in your system.

Also take into account that we burn 2/3 of all calories while we are resting. Therefore, only 1/3 of our calories are burned during physical activity and exercise. So just because you are awake doesn't necessarily mean you are burning more calories. It depends on each person and their activity levels.

Do you think the majority of Americans would agree that weight gain is a result of lack of sleep? Probably not. They need to look at the obesity and lack of sleep link and may make the connection. Getting quailty sleep on a daily basis should be at the top of your to-do list. Be wary of making this a New Year's resolution because you most likely will not get much sleep on New Year's Eve. If you are diligently following your diet and your belt still won't budge then focus on your sleep habits. More sleep will help you feel rejuvenated and lighter!

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About the author: Peter Kilpton writes exclusively for Regarding Sleep, visit there today for the latest Sleep advice, and while you're there sign up for the free newsletter. Read many more interesting articles on Sleep at: www.resleep.com/articles
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