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Sleep and weight gain: What's the connection?
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sleep-and-weight-gain/AN02178
- With Mayo Clinic preventive medicine specialist
Donald Hensrud, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Donald Hensrud, M.D.
Donald Hensrud, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.
Dr. Donald D. Hensrud is chair of the Division of Preventive, Occupational and Aerospace Medicine with a joint appointment in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, & Nutrition at Mayo Clinic. He is an associate professor of preventive medicine and nutrition at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Dr. Hensrud directed the Executive Health Program at Mayo Clinic for more than 10 years.
He received his B.S. from the University of North Dakota, M.D. from the University of Hawaii, M.P.H. from the University of Minnesota and M.S. in nutrition sciences from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He completed residency training in internal medicine and fellowship training in preventive medicine at Mayo Clinic and completed a clinical nutrition fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Dr. Hensrud is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Preventive Medicine and the American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists, of which he is a past president.
His career interests have combined nutrition, weight management, and prevention. He is the author of many scientific articles and book chapters and was editor of Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for EveryBody; The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook, which won a 2005 James Beard Foundation award; The Mayo Clinic Plan: 10 Essential Steps to a Better Body & Healthier Life; and The Mayo Clinic Diet, published in January 2010.
Dr. Hensrud says healthy lifestyle habits in diet and physical activity are extremely important as evidenced by a large body of scientific evidence. He also says implementing these lifestyle habits is realistic, sustainable and enjoyable. A primary goal of his work is to help people achieve this.
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Question
Sleep and weight gain: What's the connection?
Is too little sleep a cause of weight gain?
Answer
from Donald Hensrud, M.D.
It may be. Recent studies have suggested an association between sleep duration and weight gain. Sleeping less than five hours — or more than nine hours — a night appears to increase the likelihood of weight gain.
In one study, recurrent sleep deprivation in men increased their preferences for high-calorie foods and their overall calorie intake. In another study, women who slept less than six hours a night or more than nine hours were more likely to gain 11 pounds (5 kilograms) compared with women who slept seven hours a night. Other studies have found similar patterns in children and adolescents.
One explanation may be that sleep duration affects hormones regulating hunger — ghrelin and leptin — and stimulates the appetite. Another contributing factor may be that lack of sleep leads to fatigue and results in less physical activity.
So now you have another reason to get a good night's sleep.
Next questionHow many hours of sleep are enough?
- Benedict C, et al. Acute sleep deprivation enhances the brain's response to hedonic food stimuli. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2012;97:E443.
- Lyytikainen P, et al. Association of sleep duration with weight and weight gain: A prospective follow-up study. Journal of Sleep Research. 2011;20:298.
- Chaput JP, et al. Short sleep duration is independently associated with overweight and obesity in Quebec children. Canadian Journal of Public Health. 2011;102:369.
- Garaulet M, et al. Short sleep duration is associated with increased obesity markers in European adolescents: Effect of physical activity and dietary habits. International Journal of Obesity. 2011;35:1308.
- Hensrud DD (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 12, 2012.
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