As summer calls it a wrap (unofficially at least), Labor Day traditionally means that many folks in the workforce get rewarded with a long weekend away from their labors.
So, what do people do with that extra time off?
It turns out that a lot of them just want to sleep in and catch up on some of their missing shut-eye! And since we’re a nation that appears to get by (or tries to at least!) on very little sleep, that makes a lot of sense.
But as I’ve told you before, cutting your sleep time short – for whatever reason – is something that can set you up for a list of bad health outcomes as long as your arm.
Now, we’re hearing from a group of international researchers that you can add another health problem to that list: weight gain.
And all it can take is one sleepless night to shift your body’s metabolism in the direction of socking away fat and depleting muscle mass.
If you’ve been cutting the number of hours you devote to your nightly slumber, these new findings may be enough to motivate you to make getting sufficient sleep a priority. And if falling asleep at night is a problem, there are four excellent steps you can take to get back on track — and who knows? You may start losing some weight in the process!
Perhaps you’ve been eating like a bird and exercising yourself to the point of exhaustion… and you still can’t seem to drop a pound… answering this one question might be all it takes to solve the problem.
How much sleep do you typically get at night?
Because according to researchers from several universities in Sweden, China, and the U.S., it doesn’t take much to throw your body so out of whack that it starts holding on to fat, a.k.a. packing on the pounds.
This team discovered that when healthy people of normal weight were deprived of just one night’s sleep, it was enough to disrupt their metabolism, triggering changes that one might expect to see in obese individuals and those suffering from type 2 diabetes.
The researchers took small tissue samples from muscle and fat just under the skin, along with morning blood samples. And they discovered actual alterations in the DNA, especially in the “clock genes” that regulate your circadian rhythm, your internal timer.
That “mechanism” is what wakes you up during the day and helps you get to sleep at night. And if your timer has been on the blink lately, you might be looking for some way to get it working again.
Obviously, plenty of people have that problem, as there are more products on the market — from aromatherapy to “white noise” boxes to devices that help to slow your breathing – than you can shake a stick at!
But these four below are probably the safest and most effective methods you can use to get your internal clock ticking properly again.
1. Cut the lights: Any amount of light in your bedroom — be it from a window or an open door, a night light, your TV, or even that clock that glows in the dark — zaps your production of the all-important sleep hormone melatonin. Keeping your bedroom as dark as possible is the first step to getting the sleep you need.
And if you need to get up during the night, simply put a flashlight on your nightstand.
2. Watch what you drink: You wouldn’t have a double latté before bedtime, but there are plenty of other ways that a stay-awake drug can sneak up on you. One is decaf — that’s right, decaffeinated coffee can still contain enough caffeine to keep you up at night.
A Consumer Reports study found that decaffeinated coffees were all over the board in how much caffeine they contain. For example, one from Dunkin’ Donuts was found to have 32 mg (a standard cup of java has 85 to 100 mg), Seattle’s Best had 29 mg, and a large Starbucks decaf contained 21 mg of caffeine!
Other hidden caffeine sources include chocolate (even hot cocoa), cola, medications (such as Excedrin), some brands of “enhanced” water, and non-herbal tea.
3. Supplement your sleep: When it comes to sleep, melatonin is king — and as we get older, our bodies make a lot less of it. If everything’s working like clockwork, this amazing hormone is produced by the pineal gland after sunset. But a lot of factors can interfere with that process, which is why taking a melatonin supplement is a safe, natural way to get back to the days when sleep just happened!
4. Weigh-in at bedtime: HSI panel member Dr. Glenn Rothfeld is a big fan of a sleep technique known as the weighted blanket. This heavy covering, which can be 30 pounds or more, takes advantage of a relaxation method called “deep touch pressure,” or DTP. Research has found that DTP can allow your body to release serotonin (the relaxation chemical), which your brain converts into that all-important sleep hormone melatonin.
But whatever you do, don’t resort to one of those prescription sleep aids. Not only don’t they help you get the kind of deep rest needed, many of them can up your risk of a serious fall or car accident well into the next day.
“Missing just one night of sleep may lead to weight gain says new study” Mario L. Major, August 25, 2018, Interesting Engineering, interestingengineering.com
