Insomnia may cause obesity

We have discussed the importance of getting enough sleep on overall health and for having a good relationship with your partner. But it seems that it is not just the adults who need to deal with insomnia. The use of sleeping pills among children and very young adults rose 85 percent from 2000 to 2004, according to a study by Medco Health Solutions. It is fairly common for teenagers to not have enough sleep time as they are constantly distracted by video games and Internet. But rather than dealing with it using discipline, parents are simply bringing them to doctors for prescription medication. Another disturbing message that is many of these children actually also receive medication to treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These drugs used can cause insomnia.

In another sleep related study by James Gangwisch, it has been found that less sleep often leads to obesity. The study demonstrated a clear link between the risk of being obese and the number of hours of sleep each night, even after controlling for depression, physical activity, alcohol consumption, ethnicity, level of education, age, and gender.

Specifically, the study found that subjects between the ages of 32 and 59 who slept four hours or less per night were 73 percent more likely to be obese than those who slept between seven and nine hours each night. People who got only five hours of sleep had a 50 percent higher risk than those who were getting a full night's rest. Those who got six hours of sleep were just 23 percent more likely to be substantially overweight.

"The results are somewhat counterintuitive, since people who sleep less are naturally burning more calories," said Gangwisch who works at Columbia University. "But we think it has more to do with what happens to your body when you deprive it of sleep as opposed to the amount of physical activity that you get. Other studies have shown that leptin levels decrease and grehlin levels increase in people who are sleep-deprived, leading to increased appetite and consumption. As a result, sleeping less could serve as a trigger to the body to increase food intake and store fat."

How to sleep better?

1. Be disciplined about sleeping.
2. If you are stressed or worried about something, try to keep it away when you are ready to sleep by listening to relaxing music, taking a bath, and buring aromatherapy oils.
3. Try natural sleep pills rather than relying on prescription medication, unless the doctor thinks that you have no choice.