Insomnia and Weight Gain

  One of those things that makes you go "hmmm".  A small article in the last USA Weekend magazine says that lack of sleep can cause you to gain two pounds a year.  They tracked 70,000 women for 16 years and found that those who slept five hours or fewer a night were 32% more likely to have gained 33 pounds in the course of the study, when compared with women who slept seven hours or more.

That kind of stuff makes my head hurt--it sounds like a junior high school math problem.  Did 32% of the five-or-under demographic weigh 33 pounds more than the cohort, and that amount more than those who slept seven or more?  What about those who sleep five to seven hours a night?

What about those of us who get five or less sometimes, and seven or more others?  Do we gain 16.5 pounds over 16 years?  I think there may be some other reasons:  Who's likely to get five or fewer hours a night (aside from a few people who actually feel rested on that amount of sleep)?  I wonder if they averaged in coke addicts, who probably get fewer than five hours a night and probably dropped more than 33 pounds in that period of time.

I think regular people who get so little sleep probably work have obligations that keep them up--perhaps single parents with full-time jobs who cook and do laundry and clean house after hours, or keep two jobs.  Eating on the job, in my experience doesn't tend to be healthy--fried, fatty food, candy and donuts, fast food.  I think there is more data to be mined from this group other than just their sleep numbers to account for the weight gain. 

It is not likely that those who sleep so little spend their extra waking hours at the gym.

Unfortunately, sleep deprivation also leads to increased stress, hypertension and heart attacks.  I wonder if there's a tie-in here.

[Image from Industrial Market Trends]

Comments

[rarity]

Just to support one of your good points: That time when I worked a LOT of overtime, the food that was available was "pure" junk - it was really really bad and totally unhealthy... not a way to loose weight (or to have a long life...)

[Healing Hypnosis]

I've being researching about Insomnia and reading your blog, I found your post very helpful :) . I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading.