Lack of sleep and weight gain-Jillian Michaels take on it.

I'm not saying this is true and I'm not saying it isn't. This is just what I"VE experienced since I've aged. I have trouble falling and staying asleep. I have also put on weight. (menopause) MAYBE this is the reason many menopausal women gain weight. I have also noticed on those nights that I don't sleep much, I am much hungrier the next day.

From Jillian Michaels:

A full night's sleep is not a luxury — it's a basic necessity for healthy hormone balance. Once you dip below seven hours a night, you are increasing your risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke, depression, and obesity.

Some researchers believe that slow-wave sleep — the deep, dreamless sleep that you ideally sink into about three or four times a night — may actually regulate your metabolism. Sleep researchers break down sleep into five stages. Stage 4 slow-wave sleep, which begins about an hour after we fall asleep, is when we release our greatest pulses of growth hormone, the hormone that prompts the body to burn stored fat. When we're young, we spend about 20 percent of our time asleep in slow-wave stages 3 and 4. But as we get older, we may only spend about 10 or even 5 percent there.

Sadly, just two nights of bad sleep will cut your satiety hormone leptin by 20 percent and increase your hunger hormone ghrelin by 30 percent. That one-two punch makes you much more likely to snack on high-carb treats, which couldn't come at a worse time for your insulin levels. In a recent study, University of Chicago researchers found that just three nights of poor sleep made the bodies of young, healthy test subjects 25 percent less sensitive to insulin. This level of insulin resistance is comparable to that brought on by carrying 20 to 30 extra pounds.

In order to block fat-storage hormones and allow the full release of fat-burning hormones, you need to get at least seven hours of sleep a night!

Replies

  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
    Jillian Michaels talks too much.
  • Really interesting...thanks for sharing!
  • akaporn
    akaporn Posts: 231 Member
    I agree with you 100%. Resting is when our body do the work it suppose to be doing (recovery, rebuilding, refueling. etc.). With this busy lifestyle, it's getting harder and harder for us to get a decent amount of sleep we need. Here is my own personal take on this issue:

    1) People put so much emphasize on working out and exercising but almost zero on resting. It's true that we burn fat while working out. But, working out doesn't make you stronger, the recovery while you are sleeping does. It's like you work so hard in the office but fail to collect the paycheck. I don't enjoy working out. I hate every bit of it. The only reason I keep doing it is because I want to be stronger, leaner, faster. So, I always make sure that I collect my paycheck....

    2) Same thing with the healthy diet. I have no problem avoiding unhealthy stuffs. I'm pretty good at maintaining healthy diet. But, What would a healthy diet be without giving your body proper time to utilize it? It will store those nutrient as fat for the future.

    3) Lack of sleep will get me tired on the next day. I will get sleepy and tired. My self control is low and I eat a lot more when I'm tired. Mostly the less-healthy food too.

    For me, I believe that getting enough sleep is equally important as the healthy diet and good dose of exercise. I sent couple emails to MFP asking them to add the sleep tracking functionality to this apps but they kinda politely rejected the idea. Unlike the exercise and food industries, it's just that no body gonna make money from getting people to sleep.

    And the world still move around by money.
  • seeled
    seeled Posts: 93
    so did she say how to get that much sleep? I go to bed a 9 pm every night and get up a little after 6 am. I am not sleeping well and wake up all night long. I have tried sleep aids and they aren't helping. I know lack of sleep hinders my weight lost but I do not know what else to do to get better sleep! Even though I am in bed for 9 hours a night, I feel like I only sleep 3-4 hours. It is really taking a toll on me!!
  • fattofit20
    fattofit20 Posts: 86
    Unfortunately she didn't say anything about how to change sleep patterns. I think I've read them all on line but most things don't work for me. I have found I sleep a little better with a fan blowing. It helps with night sweats and I also can't hear other things that go on around me. It's kind of like white noise. I sleep in cotton nightgowns. They're good at soaking up the sweat and also easy enough to remove during the night. Routine is also good but it sounds like you have that going on.
  • miracle4me
    miracle4me Posts: 522 Member
    I'm not saying this is true and I'm not saying it isn't. This is just what I"VE experienced since I've aged. I have trouble falling and staying asleep. I have also put on weight. (menopause) MAYBE this is the reason many menopausal women gain weight. I have also noticed on those nights that I don't sleep much, I am much hungrier the next day.

    From Jillian Michaels:

    A full night's sleep is not a luxury — it's a basic necessity for healthy hormone balance. Once you dip below seven hours a night, you are increasing your risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke, depression, and obesity.

    Some researchers believe that slow-wave sleep — the deep, dreamless sleep that you ideally sink into about three or four times a night — may actually regulate your metabolism. Sleep researchers break down sleep into five stages. Stage 4 slow-wave sleep, which begins about an hour after we fall asleep, is when we release our greatest pulses of growth hormone, the hormone that prompts the body to burn stored fat. When we're young, we spend about 20 percent of our time asleep in slow-wave stages 3 and 4. But as we get older, we may only spend about 10 or even 5 percent there.

    Sadly, just two nights of bad sleep will cut your satiety hormone leptin by 20 percent and increase your hunger hormone ghrelin by 30 percent. That one-two punch makes you much more likely to snack on high-carb treats, which couldn't come at a worse time for your insulin levels. In a recent study, University of Chicago researchers found that just three nights of poor sleep made the bodies of young, healthy test subjects 25 percent less sensitive to insulin. This level of insulin resistance is comparable to that brought on by carrying 20 to 30 extra pounds.

    In order to block fat-storage hormones and allow the full release of fat-burning hormones, you need to get at least seven hours of sleep a night!

    This ^^^^^^
    For years now I have struggled with this. I have always been a night owl, not a morning lark. I love working at night and most of the time I am awake until Dawn. I will try harder after reading this to get more quality night time sleep.
  • Anna800
    Anna800 Posts: 639 Member
    I went to a sleep class and was told that if you take melatonin, it needs to be taken 5 hours before going to sleep, I was taking it right before I went to sleep and it never worked. Also you need to wind down your body, so you can't sit in front of a bright computer monitor with a desk lamp next to it, then that light exposure makes it hard for you to go to sleep. And your bed needs to be for rest only, no reading in bed because that puts too much activity in your brain.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
    This is certainly true for me. I had to learn that I really do NEED my sleep, less than 7 hours a night affects my weight loss.
  • First of all thanks for taking the time to share with us.. at Forty three not only have I spent years without enough sleep I can see truth in what you shared in my own body. I am over weight, tired, moody, my hair won't grow, my nails won't grow and loosing weight is the hardest ever! Just three years ago I lost 35 pounds and felt to best I had in years!!! I need to get more sleep...I just have to figure out how: the oldest is 24 and the youngest 2. There are 5 in between... Although the older crew has moved out (3 oldest), I have become a Nana and the younger crew( 2 girls and 2 boys) includes the only girls...whew need I say more??
  • Jezebel9
    Jezebel9 Posts: 396 Member
    I wish Jillian Michaels would talk more... every time I read something she says- it makes total sense. And this is exactly true for me. After not sleeping well one night, I consider myself in the danger zone- after 3 nights I am wrecked for at least one full day, maybe two if I don't get good sleep. There isn't one truth that applies to all us very special snow flakes floating around out here. This is the truth for me and I am happy to hear someone else shares it.
    Thanks for sharing this, despite the often very negative feedback that comes on these forums.
    :heart: :yawn: :laugh: :flowerforyou: :laugh: :yawn: :heart:
  • NoraCiLu
    NoraCiLu Posts: 3
    Here is my problem or not, i dont know, when i exercise more like I'm doing now i sleep less hours. I'm falling asleep around 12pm and I wake up at 6:15 or so when i dont woke up like and 3 or 4 hours afteer falling asleep.Sometime I only sleep like 4 or 5 hours at night!
  • ElementalEscapee
    ElementalEscapee Posts: 552 Member
    So my three all nighters in five days wasn't a good idea? Lol. *tries to catch some more sleep*
  • AprilRenewed
    AprilRenewed Posts: 691 Member
    I agree with it all, and it sucks because I sleep horribly. I can't sleep through the night. Hardly ever.
  • IzzyBmydog
    IzzyBmydog Posts: 58 Member
    Seeled I totally agree with your post here and am experiencing the same issues. My lack of ability to sleep started about 5 years ago when I lost my job. Still today, despite the use of sleep aides I cannot stay asleep. I too can physically lay in bed for about 8 hours but only 4-5 of those hours will be sleeping. So frustrating.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    I agree with it all, and it sucks because I sleep horribly. I can't sleep through the night. Hardly ever.

    I go to bed at 9, wake up at 11, wake up at 1, wake up at 3 and up again at 5 for work. Sometimes I manage to sleep between those hours but usually no more than 45 minutes at a time because it takes me forever to get back to sleep when I wake up :( I don't snore, I don't have sleep apnea and I have been this way for YEARS - even when I was thin I didn't sleep. I use ear plugs, I use a sleep mask and I have a fan and if it wasn't for those 3 things I wouldn't sleep at ALL. I have tried warm milk, exercise, reading, no lights - I refuse to take drugs for it though.

    My mom is an insomniac also so I blame her. I can't say if it contributed to my weight gain any more than stuffing my face did but probably not. Maybe this time when I drop some weight it will make a difference but it didn't do a darn thing for me last time so I am not holding my breath - I have learned to live on crap sleep.
  • I am 24 years old and have been suffering from insomnia for about 6 years now. For the first few years, I was unable to fall asleep and when I did, I had trouble staying asleep. My sleep pattern was, well non-existent. There was no pattern. I gained lots of weight as well obviously due to no energy and eating terrible food. I believe not being able to sleep properly definitely had something to do with the weight gain-it was all connected it seemed.
    Anyway, 2 years ago my doctor asked me if I'd like to try a prescription sleep aid. Of course I said yes. It helped me fall asleep and stay asleep. My life began slowly picked up and I felt over all better. I didn't crave the bad foods as much, had more energy and my mood was so good almost all the time. I started loving my life again. I had energy to do all the things I just couldn't before. I was ambitious once again.
    So, now after being on this sleep aid for a few years, my doctor recently decided to take me off of it, said there were "concerning side effects" from being on it long term and he didn't wish for me to have to suffer through them.
    I haven't been on them for a few months and my sleep is again, non-existent. Up all hours of the night, craving bad food, mood is all over the place, etc. I have certainly developed a dependence on the drug and almost think I'm worse off now than before. I wish I knew about dependency before. I hope to shake it soon.

    Anyone else try using sleep aids and have a similar experience to mine?
  • CJ_Holmes
    CJ_Holmes Posts: 759 Member
    I went to a sleep class and was told that if you take melatonin, it needs to be taken 5 hours before going to sleep, I was taking it right before I went to sleep and it never worked. Also you need to wind down your body, so you can't sit in front of a bright computer monitor with a desk lamp next to it, then that light exposure makes it hard for you to go to sleep. And your bed needs to be for rest only, no reading in bed because that puts too much activity in your brain.

    I don't know if there is anything wrong with this, but if it's getting to be bedtime and I'm not sleepy, I chew a melatonin and let it dissolve under my tongue some before swallowing it. Sounds gross, but in like 30 minutes I am sound asleep and wake up refreshed. Regular sleep aids give me a horrible sleepy hangover, but this works great for me!
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Not sure about all scientific mumbo jumbo it there BUT.....as a menopausal woman I can definitely say that menopause reeks havoc with your hormones and sleep patterns!!!! For years I maintained a healthy weight through good diet and exercise. I hit peri-menopause a few years ago and started to gain and get thick around the middle. Ugh. And my sleep got really dodgy too. The best thing I did to combat this was to -

    eat more (yes...you need to eat above your BMR)
    to eat more protein (MFP setting are too low and most women are not getting enough protein)
    lift weights and strength train (because muscles love to burn calories)
    ease up on the caffeine

    It's working for me!