Diet and Exercise is Not Enough
Research proves that quality sleep is paramount in a diet and exercise slimming regimen. As the world struggles with an epidemic of obesity, it is also struggling with an epidemic of sleeplessness. In American alone, an estimated 75% of the population does not obtain quality sleep, according to a 2005 poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation. In order to help with slimmer waistlines and better overall health, sleep may be the missing ingredient.

This may sound contrary to conventional thought regarding dieting – eating fewer calories than can be burned off in a 24 hour period and burning calories through movement. But it also requires a period of recovery from such movement. Weightlifters are fully aware of the need to take a day to rest in between intense weight-lifting workouts in order to properly build muscle. A new study suggests that the body needs quality sleep in order to more efficiently burn calories. The results were presented at the International Conference for the American Thoracic Society.

Study Specifics
The weight loss study conducted in America’s premier veterans’ hospital, Walter Reed, found that sleep was the key to reaching a healthy body mass index (BMI). Fourteen Walter Reed nurses volunteered to be human guinea pigs. They wore pedometers and arm bands that measured their activity levels. By measuring vital body statistics such as temperature and body position, researchers were able to determine the activity level of each nurse.

The nurses were divided into ’short sleepers’ (those who obtained only a few hours of sleep per night) and ‘long sleepers’ (those who slept eight hours per night.) The ’short sleepers’ were more obese, with an average BMI index of 28.3, however, the ‘long sleepers’ only had an average BMI of 24.5. But the pedometers showed that ’short sleepers’ took over 14,000 steps per day, while ‘long sleepers’ only needed 11,300 per day. The nurses that walked more and slept less also weighed more.

The study researchers stressed that more studies should be done to further clarify the role sleep has in weight loss. The head of the researchers, Arn Eliasson, MD, theorized that stress may be the main reason that ’short sleepers’ are both overweight and tired. Stress can figure into disturbing sleep. The Mayo Clinic notes that people suffering from a depressive disorder often develop insomnia because the patients become too worried to sleep.

The Purpose of Sleep
Sleep still remains a mystery to science. Although the lack of sleep can soon trigger headaches, disorientation and hallucinations, just why does the body rely upon it so much that it needs to spend a third of its life in sleep mode? Scientists still do not know. The prevailing theory is that sleep helps the brain process the new experiences of each day.

A recent theory challenges this assumption, stating that sleep is for the benefit of the entire body and helps keep an individual sufficiently adaptable for survival, no matter how much the environment changes. This theory is from the Director of the Center of Sleep Research, Professor Jerome Siegel. Sleeping does slow down the body’s metabolism. Sleep seems to be the body’s way of constantly assessing where the body’s energies should be concentrated. Sleep is thus a full diagnostic of the body.

Cutting off this diagnostic means that the body is constantly confused as to where best to spend its precious amounts of resources, such as the type stored in fat. Fat is a calorie bank that is broken down during times of scarcity. Since homo sapiens are thought to be approximately 195,000 years old, fat was a necessary component of survival. It is only in the last hundred years or so that most humans have had constant access to food.

Diet and Exercise Affects Sleep
Studies such as the one conducted at Walter Reed do not mean that all that an obese person requires to slim down is to obtain eight hours of sleep per night. Diet and exercise are just as important to getting quality sleep as quality sleep is to diet and exercise. Regular exercise helps tire the body and assist in falling asleep. Dietary choices can assist the body to become drowsy or to stay up all night. With quality sleep, the body has the energy required to exercise and make wise food choices.

The National Sleep Foundation claims that insomnia is the symptom of an underlying illness requiring treatment. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that any person experiencing insomnia for one month should see a doctor. Vigorous exercise should be avoided right before sleep, because the body would be too stimulated to relax.

Sleep Aids
Treating weight loss and sleep problems is a very complex matter that requires a multi-faceted approach. The National Sleep Foundation recommends keeping a diary of diet, exercise and sleep habits to share with a doctor to obtain the best treatment. Using stress management techniques before bed can help shut off thoughts and worries. Medications may also be prescribed for short term use.

Patients shy away from sleep aid medications because there is a risk of dependency. Reputable doctors put a patient on a schedule to gradually add the medication and then wean the patient off of it. There are several promising herbs such as valerian root and chamomile that can help the body relax, although their effects are not as powerful as prescription medications, neither do they carry the same side effects.

One promising over the counter treatment is the hormone melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamin.) This hormone helps the circadian rhythms to function optimally. It is often available at airports because of its reputed benefits in alleviating jet lag. But all herbs and vitamins can cause side effects. For example, melatonin may cause nightmares and people with ragwort allergies will have the same allergic reaction to chamomile. No matter what sleep aid is taken, the patient needs to diet, exercise and learn non-chemical ways of managing stress. Eventually, the pounds will be shed.

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