We all know too well how we feel if we lack sleep but do you know the huge health consequences? You don’t just feel crabby and mentally impaired, you also raise the risk of weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, reduced pain tolerance, and more colds.
- Weight Gain. Studies consistently show increased risk of obesity from insufficient sleep. A study showed that women who slept no more than 5 hours a night were 28% more likely to gain at least 30 lbs over 16 years than those who slept 7 hours a night. We eat more. Ghrelin, hormone that increases appetite, are higher and leptin, hormone that curbs appetite is decreased due to lack of sleep.
- Diabetes. In a study, those that slept less than 6 hours a night were 30% more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes than those who slept 7 hours a night. Your body is less insulin sensitive. You eat more and more high carb, high fat foods and your body is less able to process them.
- Heart Disease. Those who sleep less than 6 hours per night have a 50% higher risk of heart disease than those who get at least 7 hours per night. Scientists believe it’s due to inflammation.
- Colds. In an experiment, those who slept less than 7 hours per night were 3 times more likely to get a cold than those who got at least 8 hours of sleep.
- Pain. Those who slept 1.8 hours more than usual were less sensitive to pain.
- Mental Clarity. We have all experienced brain fog due to lack of sleep. It impairs our ability to focus, pay attention, and make good decisions.
If there are changes you’d like to make in your stress level, eating habits, exercise, and overall health and happiness, start with a free health consultation at www.HappyFoodHealth.com or (619) 876-2655. See if this is the right match for you. I do things very differently to make health a natural lifestyle and this is not for everyone. Check out Yelp for other people’s opinion of Happy Food.
~ Samantha Hua, Nutrition & Holistic Health Coach, San Diego, CA
