Sleep: The Missing Link in Weight Loss

January 1, 2012

Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times health columnist, wrote a great article in last week’s Times Magazine called, “The Fat Trap.” She details a poignant account of her personal struggles with obesity, and the various scientific studies that support the notion that there are a number of genetic, biochemical and environmental factors that prevent certain people from losing weight.

But one thing that was clearly missing in her article was the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. There are a number of reasons why most modern Americans are not getting enough sleep.

A National Sleep Foundation poll in 2005 showed that Americans averaged 6.9 hours of sleep per night, which is about one hour less per night compared with 50 years ago. Furthermore, our sleep duration has dropped another 20 minutes since 2001. Invasion of technology has been blamed as one major factor, as cellphones, computers, and various media options are rampant in today’s society. The bad economy is also thought to create more insomnia and diminished total sleep times.

Not only has our sleep duration dropped, but the quality of our sleep is dropping even further. Obesity is a major risk factor for having obstructive sleep apnea. As obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, it’s likely that rates of obstructive sleep apnea has increased as well. Untreated obstructive sleep apnea, by causing multiple breathing interruptions, prevents continuous, quality deep sleep. It also significantly increases your future risk of developing heart disease, heart attack, stroke and motor vehicle accidents.

A healthy diet, portion control, and regular exercise are cornerstones of most diets or weight loss programs. But without good quality sleep, your chances of losing a significant amount of weight and keeping is off is relatively low. One major reason for this is that poor sleep promotes weight gain. It’s been shown that hormonally and metabolically, one tends to either gain weight, or has difficulty losing weight, no matter how much you diet or exercise.

One great example was reported by Glamour Magazine in 2009: Seven women of varying weights were told to sleep at least 7.5 hours every night. After 10 weeks, 6 of the 7 women lost anywhere from 6 to 15 pounds, without any changes in their eating or exercise habits. The one woman that didn’t lose any weight did lose 2.5 inches off her waist, bust and hips.

This just goes to show that unless you can optimize sleep, losing weight through dieting and/or exercise won’t work as well, or last.

If you’re currently dieting, have you incorporated an optimal sleep program into your weight loss regimen?

Written by Steven Park · Filed Under Blog | Leave a Comment

How Being Fat Can Cause Dementia

May 5, 2011

Being overweight has been associated with a number of medical problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. Now a new study shows that being overweight in midlife significantly increases your chances of developing dementia later in life. You can read a summary of the study here.

The researchers are unclear about the reason for this observation, but do suggest the possibility that inflammation from being overweight, or diabetes and cardiovascular complications, can damage brain cells. What they’re majorly missing is the fact that the more overweight you are, the more likely you’ll have obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is a major cause of hypoxia and brain injury. I’ve written numerous times in the past that sleep apnea has be shown to directly cause brain tissue injury, especially in areas that control memory, executive function, and even autonomic nervous system center that control breathing and heart rate.

What’s your take on this article?

Written by Steven Park · Filed Under Blog | 2 Comments

“I Know I Don’t Have Sleep Apnea”

June 18, 2009

A few times every week, when I bring up the possibility of obstructive sleep apnea, a patient will confidently say to me, "I know I don’t have sleep apnea." Nine out of ten times, a sleep study reveals that the person does have sleep apnea.

A recent study presented at this year’s annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies revealed that of all people who were referred for excessive sleepiness, 54% of normal weight people were found to have obstructive sleep apnea. Of these normal weight people with sleep apnea, 54% were found to have moderate to severe levels.

I’ve been saying for years that young, thin people who don’t snore can have significant obstructive sleep apnea, but it seems like most doctors and lay people still think that only an overweight, snoring man with a big neck can have sleep apnea. Yes, this is the extreme end of the spectrum, but since sleep apnea is an anatomically small jaw problem, you can have this even when you’re young and thin. Later on, you’ll be more likely to gain weight and fit the classic profile, but only after some of the complications of untreated sleep apnea have set in.

One major reason for this continued myth is that we continue to have studies showing that heavier people are more likely to have sleep apnea. But this doesn’t mean that all thin people don’t. If you’re chronically tired and you don’t have a satisfactory answer for your fatigue, at least think about sleep apnea.

Written by Steven Park · Filed Under Blog | Leave a Comment