Want to lose weight? Get enough sleep. Instead of spendingan hour a day jogging, new research shows that if you spendthat time in bed, your diet is more likely to be a success.
Leptin, a chemical released during sleep, controls body fatby letting us know we're full. Lack of sleep also affectsthe hormones which help burn off calories during the day.
Researchers followed 500 adults, aged 27 to 40, for 13years, and found that their average sleep times declinedfrom 7.7 hours to 7.3 hours for women, and from 7.1 hours to6.9 hours for men. They put on an average of five poundsduring that time, and those who gain the most were the oneswho slept the least.
Leptin levels are significantly reduced in volunteers whoare deprived of sleep. Sleep Expert Sanjay Patel says,"[Weight gain] can be greatly altered if you alter thelength of time you sleep by an hour or two. Low levels [ofleptin] would increase the urge to eat."
More good news: A new study has found that a gene calledSIRT1 reduces the development of new fat cells and increasesthe metabolism. It?s a gene we need in order to lose weightand its activity is increased in people who drink red wine.
Our health doesn't just depend on our diet?we need to learnhow to havepositiveenergy.
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