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Sleeping is a great way to lose weight. Think about it. When you are asleep, you are not eating (unless you are one of those rare people who walks and eats while asleep). A client of ours, who travels through various time zones and is always sleep deprived, told us that when she gets enough sleep, she stops eating to stay awake and has enough energy to go to the gym. " Waking up from a good night's sleep makes me feel like a new person. I plan my meals, stop eating all day to keep my eyes open, and I really enjoy exercise. But most of the time I am like a zombie and live on jelly doughnuts and coffee to get through the day." A recent study showed that new moms who get five or fewer hours of sleep a night are more likely to gain weight than moms whose kids let them sleep more. The article suggested that moms get more sleep, implying that they had a choice! But even after the years of caring for infants who think nighttime is playtime are over, sleep deprivation can take its toll on weight. Dr Sanjay Patel, and others at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, found that women who slept five hours or fewer a night gained about 3 pounds more over a ten-year period than women who slept 7 hours or more a night. Now 3 pounds may not seem like much of a difference but when you are struggling to keep from gaining weight, this side effect of too little sleep is, at best, annoying. One provocative clue as to why lack of sleep may cause weight gain comes from studies on growth hormone. This hormone, which is made in the pituitary gland, promotes the building of muscle or lean body mass and also gets your body to use up the fat stored in fat cells rather than keeping it stored there. Growth hormone is made when you are in what is called deep sleep. Studies have shown that when this phase of sleep is disrupted, not enough growth hormone may be made and this may slow down your metabolism. As you go from early adulthood to middle age (36-50), the amount of time you spend in this important sleep phase decreases significantly. Added to the inevitable process of aging are all the other factors that can disrupt sleep, including hot flushes, jet lag, noise, a snoring spouse, or even a snoring dog. Is it possible that the women who gained weight because they slept for five or fewer hours a night were the victims of too little growth hormone? No one knows nor is anyone about to claim that insomnia is a major cause of obesity. But since it is known that sleepiness makes you eat much too much and move too little and sleeping enough prevents all this, why not try to get enough sleep? And if your dog snores, use ear plugs. | permalink | related link |    ( 3 / 30 )It comes to my attention that prescribing physicians are still denying the connection between antidepressants and weight gain. I'm not sure how they can deny it - it's so common and, frankly, a well known side effect. It's just that what to do about the weight gain is not well known - yet. But if I had a physician give me the meds and then tell me weight gain was simply hormones or stress or lack of exercise, I'd be pretty mad. And that would be only after I got over feeling badly about myself because I kept gaining weight despite trying every diet on the planet before finding The Serotonin Power Diet. Clients and readers remind me all the time that the medications cause more than just weight gain: low mental energy, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, dry mouth, lack of desire to exercise, and other effects. The Serotonin Power Diet should improve most of them (not the dry mouth, unfortunately), but it's helpful to arrange your life to feel your best while losing weight or maintaining that weight loss. Here are some tips I've enjoyed getting from clients and readers: For low mental energy, do what energizes you. You don't have to meditate on a mountain to feel calm and relaxed (it would probably cause more stress for some people!) - it's not about how busy you are but rather what is the quality of what you do and who you spend your time with. Simply notice and make any changes that seem appropriate if possible. For fatigue, spend more time in bed allowing yourself some quiet time before you plan to fall asleep and also relaxing for a few moments in the morning before bounding out of bed. You can even do some simple stretches, whatever feels good, while lying there. Somehow it can make you feel less "rest-deprived". For difficulty sleeping, especially falling asleep, no computer in the evening. Period. And, an evening bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar. For lack of desire to exercise, just put on your outfit and get started without moaning to yourself about how you'll have to take a shower, blow dry your hair, and put on make-up again. It will be over eventually and you'll be right back on your couch showered and warm and dry before you know it, maybe even in your lounge-around-the-house sweatpants. Dry mouth and thirst, drink water before you eat. Bottled lemon juice added occasionally can make it less boring. While losing weight on antidepressants, why not help yourself feel your very best? | permalink | related link | ( 2.8 / 19 )Check out this blog on a great blog site called www.blogs.families.com. The author, Lisa Pietsch, writes: "Do you crave starchy foods all day? Are you hungry all the time? Is your diet failing because you just can't stop eating? "It could be that you simply aren't getting enough sleep. "According to Dr. Joseph Ojile of the Clayton Sleep Institute, there is a direct connection between poor sleep and obesity. In fact, the National Sleep Foundation has found poor sleep habits to be such a part of obesity that they want obesity therapists to consider this issue in the fight against obesity with as much importance as diet and exercise." I'm so glad there is greater awareness everywhere on the relationship between sleep deprivation and weight gain. I know how it is as a mother of three young kids; sometimes I stay up too late getting things done because I don't have enough time when the kids are awake. Then when I'm tired during the day, I'm more likely to eat their leftovers, nibble while cooking, have extra snacks with them, or feel tempted to escape from their demands with too many crunchy wheat thins. If you're on antidepressants, the quality of your sleep may be poor and the medications may make you feel fatigued in the daytime thus contributing to the problem. The good news, as many of you know, is that when you eat those yummy serotonin-boosting carbs like pasta for dinner and low-fat cookies or popcorn for an evening snack, you'll be able to relax more before bed which will help you sleep better. They will also help decrease your stress. So do get yourself to bed as early as possible. And don't forget to eat your protein at breakfast and lunch to give you the mental energy you need to take care of those precious kids. They, and your waistline, will thank you. | permalink | related link | ( 3 / 53 )We just received this comment posted on our blog and I'm posting it here because I think a lot of people can probably relate. Being tired can have more to do with the quality of sleep not just the number of hours. Read on: "Have you noticed anyone taking antidepressants who seems to need MORE sleep than the 8-10 hours? I can easily sleep 14 hours and still consider napping the next day. I'm not sure if it's my body's response to not enough REM sleep, or my way of compensating for anxiety/depression I still have. Either way, my sleep cycle gets turned all around. I seem to be getting worse as I get older. I'm 36 (ow.) now. I used to be able to handle 4 hours a sleep a night when I was a teen. I take 60 mg Cymbalta daily. I've googled excessive sleep but don't fit any illness listed. Everyone who knows me comments on this and it's something that makes me wonder if I could handle having children due to the lack of sleep it would entail and the emotional overload I would reach quickly if I did not get the sleep. I've mentioned it a couple times to my doctor but they brush it off as something I should not be concerned about. Granted you don't know me but who could I talk to or what else should I look up? I'm also considering light therapy to reset my biologic clock...sigh. I dunno. I have nothing else in my life that makes this un-handleable but if I ever get married or have a family this would be a BIGger problem. Thanks for your time. I haven't gotten your book yet as I just stumbled on your site but I'm going to morrow. GREAT subject. Best, Dana" Since it's well known that virtually all antidepressants and mood stabilizing medications disrupt REM sleep, it's no wonder that increased daytime sleepiness is a side effect making the desire for napping understandable. And there's nothing wrong with napping as long as it doesn't interfere with how easily it is for you to fall asleep or stay asleep at night - there's a reason the siesta is a cultural staple in many parts of the world. Light therapy can also help alleviate daytime sleepiness particularly with rainy weather or during the dark, cold days of winter. Increased sleep and sleepiness may well be an effect of anxiety and depression not entirely treated by medications, and it's worth discussing the topic with your prescribing physician or other health care providers. Sleep requirements also change over time and being able to manage with 4 hours of sleep as a teen, even though any teen who sleeps only 4 hours a night is chronically fatigued, is no prediction for being able to manage on so few hours as an older adult. Somehow, whether there are work or family demands, we either rise to the occasion or figure out what resources or support we need to fulfill those obligations. We often can dig deeper inside than we think we can no matter how tired we feel. With three little kids, juggling work, managing our household (let's face it, most of it inevitably falls to the woman), trying to stay fit and healthy, and keeping up with the rest of life, I know a lot is possible even if it seems overwhelming from time to time. You can do it, too! - Nina | permalink | related link | ( 3 / 80 )Judy just ran into someone whose 40-ish year old daughter on antidepressants has been following "The Serotonin Power Diet". She told Judy that, for the first time in years, her daughter is sleeping well. We all know that lack of sleep can make us change our eating habits, and not usually for the better. Staying awake later or waking in the middle of the night creates opportunities to fill time with eating. And fatigue from poor sleep can lead to excessive daytime eating as a way to increase energy levels. Depression can also change eating habits. And it can certainly change sleep habits. Depression is associated with a wide range of sleep disturbances such as frequent awakenings, decreased quality of sleep, difficulty falling asleep, and increased hours of sleeping. And while antidepressants can act on the central nervous system thereby relieving some sleep disturbances, they often disrupt REM sleep leaving the antidepressant user feeling less rested. A study published in The Journal of American Geriatric Society showed that the risk of sleep disturbances among elderly women on SSRI's was increased. Studies on other classes of antidepressants show similar findings. So mom was right: cookies at bedtime are a good thing to help you sleep; just make them fat free, and opt for warm herbal tea instead of the milk. And don't forget to brush your teeth. | permalink | related link | ( 3 / 91 )Next |
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