Archive for the ‘Sleep’ Category

Importance of Sleep

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

An important aspect of health that is often overlooked, if not downright shunned, is sleep.

I previously blogged on a study that showed sleep deprivation among people trying to lose weight was linked to a loss of muscle mass. Sleep deprivation is also linked to an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The Harvard School of Public Health in conjunction with The Huffington Post, have put together a free 1-hour video of a panel discussion on sleep, How America’s Sleep Deficit Is Damaging Long-term Health. They spend a decent amount of time on sleep deprivation for medical training, which might not be relevant to you (unless you’re ever in the hospital being treated by a sleep-deprived physician!), but also cover many other topics.

If a one-hour video is too much, The Huffington Post has an article that summarizes many of the main points of the video, How America’s Sleep Deficit Is Damaging Long-term Health.

Sleep Deprivation and Weight Loss

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

WebMd has an interesting article, Sleep Loss Hampers Weight Loss Efforts.

The study found that when people trying to lose weight slept 7.5 hours per night, they lost 3.1 pounds of fat and 3.3 pounds of fat-free body mass (mostly muscle tissue). When they slept for 5.5 hours a night, they only lost 1.3 pounds of fat and 5.3 pounds of fat-free mass.