Obesity rates and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes are on the rise and it seems that lack of sleep could be a huge factor in that increase. Long term sleep deprivation has been associated with increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, stroke and decreased immunity. All of these negative associations are thought to be a result of the inflammatory response caused by lack of sleep.
Recent research has shown that not getting enough sleep can have bigger effects than previously believed. And it only takes one night of sleep deprivation for those effects to start presenting themselves. After one night of sleep deprivation, subjects in recent study were shown to have decreased insulin sensitivity. Decreased sensitivity means imbalanced blood sugar and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Lack of sleep has also been recently shown to cause problems with the hormones leptin and ghrelin. These hormones regulate your appetite and energy expenditure. When these hormones are out of wack, people experience more hunger, leading to increased eating… leading to weight gain.
The amount of sleep needed varies from person to person; in general, most adults 17 and older need somewhere between 7 and 9 hours of sleep. But it’s important to pay attention to what your body is telling you and adjust your hours accordingly.
Source: cpmedical.net “Sleep Deprivation”
