Rise and Exercise

If you haven’t heard by now, there is a strong correlation between the amount of hours of sleep we get a night and obesity.  As a general rule of thumb, adults need an average of seven to eight hours of sleep a day in order to function properly.  Getting less than six hours of sleep can cause a number of problems within in the body and within the mind.

According to research in the American Journal of Human Biology has shown that not getting enough sleep could affect glucose metabolism and even raise blood pressure.  It can also affect the ways that our appetites are regulated.

“These findings show that sleeping poorly can increase a person’s risk of developing obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease,” says Dr Kristen Knutson, of the University of Chicago.

According to the research, there is a link between sleeping fewer than six hours a night and having a higher body mass index (BMI).  This study shows that the link is stronger in teens and kids.

The research also suggests that sleep deprivation increases the secretion of gherlin, the appetite hormone, and leptin, which tells us when we’re full, which then increases how much food we consume.

These findings can be very relevant to those seeking to lose weight, as not getting enough sleep can actually be counterproductive to that goal.

Aside from the fact that not getting enough sleep may contribute to obesity, it also dulls reaction times and oftentimes causes irritability and makes concentrating more difficult.

The bottom line is, make sure no to sell yourself short in the evening.  Make sure you get enough sleep as it will not only improve your physical performance, but also your mental performance.

So next time you’re faced with the option of staying up late and getting up early, opt to go to bed early instead.

Carlos Morgan is a 22 year old Communications Major hoping to get into Law School one day and make a difference. If you feel you want to know more, check out his Google+