Sleep loss could result in weight gain

Did you know! Lack of sleep may contribute to adverse weight gain, finds a study.

Health news : Researchers at Uppsala University have demonstrated that one night of sleep loss has a tissue-specific impact on the regulation of gene expression and metabolism in humans.

This may explain how shift work and chronic sleep loss impairs our metabolism and adversely affects our body composition.

Sleep Loss

In the new study, the researchers studied 15 healthy normal-weight individuals who participated in two in-lab sessions in which activity and meal patterns were highly standardised. In randomised order, the participants slept a normal night of sleep (over eight hours) during one session and were instead kept awake the entire night during the other session.

The morning after each night-time intervention, small tissue samples (biopsies) were taken from the participants’ subcutaneous fat and skeletal muscle. These two tissues often exhibit disrupted metabolism in conditions such as obesity and diabetes.

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Sleep medication: Use and abuse

Insomnia or sleep disturbance is the most common of all sleep disorders. Insomnia is the difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep, even when a person can sleep in.

According to a report by the National Institutes of Health, it is estimated that around 30 per cent of the total general population complains about sleep disruption and over 10 per cent have been associated with symptoms of daytime functional impairment consistently, with the diagnosis of insomnia.

Treatment of insomnia depends on the severity of symptoms and underlying cause. Sleep medications are not the first line of treatment, and various other methods such as behavioural therapy or sleep hygiene must be tried first. Sleeping pills have a potential to make a person dependent on it when he/she takes those pills for a prolonged period.

Dr Mohammed Shakeel of Fortis Hospital, Kalyan, said the risks and benefits of various prescriptions for sleeping pills can differ.

Side effects of taking sleeping pills- Depending on the type, sleeping pills with prescription-might include the following:

• Frustration, fatigue, low energy, difficulty in concentrating, mood disturbances

• Severe headache

• Gastrointestinal problems, (E.g. Diarrhea and Nausea)

• Persistent drowsiness (due to consuming drugs that may help you stay asleep)

• Allergic reaction to certain things

• Behavioural changes in sleep (E.g. driving or eating when you’re not fully awake)

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Broadband internet can cause sleep deprivation

Did you know! Having access to the broadband internet can cause sleep deprivation.

According to a recent study conducted by Bocconi University, access to high-speed internet reduces sleep duration and sleep satisfaction in individuals that face time constraints in the morning for work or family reasons.

“Individuals with DSL access tend to sleep 25 minutes less than their counterparts without DSL Internet. They are significantly less likely to sleep between 7 and 9 hours, the amount recommended by the scientific community, and are less likely to be satisfied with their sleep,” Francesco Billari, principal investigator of the study, said.

The effect that the authors find is largely driven by individuals that face time constraints in the morning and by the use of electronic devices in the evening (not by their use throughout the day).

News Source : BS