Less Sleep = Less Fat Loss

Posted By elissa on Oct 25, 2010 | 2 comments

Earlier this year, I reported on a study that suggested sleep deprivation could lead to overeating. And now there’s more on the subject of sleep and weight… but from the opposite direction. A lack of sleep doesn’t just increase your risk of gaining fat; it could also decrease your chances of losing it. Dr Arya Sharma, of “Dr. Sharma’s Obesity Notes” explains the latest findings:

In a study published in a recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, Arlet Nedeltcheva and colleagues from the University of Chicago, tested the hypothesis that lack of sufficient sleep adversely affects the neuroendocrine response and metabolic effects of caloric restriction.

In a complicated randomised, 2-period, 2-condition crossover study, 10 overweight nonsmoking adults (3 women and 7 men) with a mean age of 41 years and a BMI around 27, were subjected to 14 days of moderate caloric restriction with 8.5 or 5.5 hours of nighttime sleep in a sleep laboratory.

Despite the same amount of caloric restriction, sleep deprivations resulted in 55% less fat loss and alarmingly increased the loss of fat-free mass (muscle) by almost 60%.

Sleep deprivation was also associated with increased hunger and reduced fat oxidation.

Yes, it was a small study, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the results confirmed by additional research.