Sleep More to Lose Weight

Good news for those who want to lose weight and do it in the easiest manner possible. A new study demonstrates that sleeping more will be good for your waistline.

Previous studies have linked reduced amounts of sleep with being overweight, but there were questions whether the studies were flawed. Since overweight individuals have an increased incidence of conditions that can alter sleep, such as sleep apnea, it was uncertain whether altered sleep causes overweight or vice-versa. However, recent research presented last week at the conference of the American Heart Association may help to clarify the issue.

Columbia University’s New York Obesity Research Center studied normal weight individuals, and evaluated the amount of calories consumed in a day versus the amount of sleep obtained the previous night. Women who slept only 4 hours ate an average of 329 calories more the following day than when they were well rested. For men, it was 263 calories. This may not sound like much, but when you consider that burning off this amount of calories would take running on a treadmill at 6.5 mph for about 30 minutes, it begins to put the numbers into perspective. Looked at another way, if these extra calories were consumed on a daily basis it would equal a yearly weight gain of about 33 pounds for the women and 27 pounds for the men. Not insignificant.

Nothing is truer when it comes to weight loss (or gain) than the fact that small daily changes lead to big results over time. So don’t look at losing weight as something you need to suffer through. In fact, in this instance, all you need to do is be sure you get a good night’s rest and you’ll probably start seeing your pants fitting a little looser. What could be easier?


The author submits this blog posting as a health educator and not in any other capacity. You should seek the advice of your physician regarding a personal health condition or before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.