Want to Lose Weight? Be Happier? Try Sleeping More!!
According to an article in the Contra Costa Times, sleeping too little can cause weight gain and diabetes. The article says:
A recent study published in the journal SLEEP found that people who reported sleeping five or fewer hours a night were much more likely to develop diabetes than those who reported sleeping seven hours. In fact, chronic sleep deprivation can lead to obesity, because the sleep-deprived body produces less of the hormone leptin, which makes you feel full, and more of the hormone grehlin, which makes you feel hungry.
The article also mentions that sleep boosts your immune system and improves your mood and, according to some accounts, can actually lengthen your life.
According to the article, our non-REM sleep is important for repair of the body, while REM sleep (during which dreams occur) can help us cope with stress:
A good night’s sleep follows a distinct pattern, alternating between so-called REM sleep (characterized by the rapid eye movements that accompany it), and non-REM sleep. During non-REM sleep, our breathing slows, blood pressure drops, muscles relax, and our bodies release hormones such as growth hormone, which builds and repairs tissue and helps keeps skin healthy. In REM sleep we dream, which may help us cope with stressful events.
Read the full article at:
www.contracostatimes.com/ci_8404779?source=most_emailed
