How Sleep Directly Affects Your Metabolism
Have you ever wondered why there are so many cases of obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease among the people you work with and live around? In many cases, there are multiple reasons for this, including dietary issues, work stress, and a number of other factors, but there is a very high likelihood that those people may be suffering from such ailments because of one key reason: sleeplessness.
Indeed, the lack of sleep experienced by American citizens is one of the key debilitating factors squandering a great deal of the human resources that we need to function as a society. It is a consistent uphill battle under the veil of sleeplessness for each one of us whether we realize it or not; unfortunately, many people don’t realize they are lacking sleep. The greatest thanks for our mass sleeplessness can go to the concerted efforts of the industries offering sugary beverages, and the more recent energy drink frenzy that a high percentage of the populace consumes. The great, diverse variety of sugared drinks that the populace has the power to choose over natural, healthy alternatives is one of the greatest faults of the industry.
The most recent study by Dr. Kristen Knutson from the Univ. of Chicago describes the many ways sleeplessness can destroy your body’s ability to metabolize properly. Dr. Knutson gathered a sum of evidence from several observational studies of sleep showing a direct correlation to Body Mass Index (BMI) and fewer than 6 hours of sleep.
“Obesity develops when energy intake is greater than expenditure. Diet and physical activity play an important part in this, but an additional factor may be inadequate sleep […] A review of the evidence shows how short or poor quality sleep is linked to increased risk of obesity by de-regulating appetite, leading to increased energy consumption.”
Not only does lack of sleep pose a threat to your heart, weight, and stress levels, but it also increases the risk of cancer, diabetes, and other conventional illnesses, in part by substantially diminishing the immune system’s primary organs. There are, of course, several hundred myths and theories on how much sleep an adult actually needs, and certain studies continue to perpetuate an alarmingly large number of them.
Given the fact that at least one third of the population of America sleeps less than 7 hours a night, it is clear that our nation’s priorities may need a re-assessment. No amount of work or stress on a person can be reversed if they are not sleeping for a sufficient amount of time.
