Ever been in one of those moods where you feel like everything is dragging and you don’t want to do anything productive?
It’s been one of those days. Like most stressed-out college kids, I’ve been lacking in the sleep department. Therefore, this week is about sleep disorders and their effects on the body.
Since the percentage of Americans who are obese is increasing more every day the more prone to developing more disorders than a healthy, normal (according to BMI) individual.
People who are obese or overweight are likely to develop a sleep disorder called Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a condition where a person stops breathing during sleep and their Oxygen levels decrease immensely. A recently released study, according to njsleepdisorderscenter.com, states that Sleep Apnea can cause a person to become obese because they are so tired they do not have the energy or drive to exercise, in order to lose the weight.
- Glucose does not process through the body as quick in an obese person’s body system.
- Increasing the amount of sleep will decrease weight and increase energy.
Read more about the effects sleep apnea has to obesity by clicked the link to the article that was referenced above.
America is known for its larger portions, compared to those in Europe (I’ve been there, I know). There’s really no rhyme or reason why we have such larger portions than the recommended serving, but larger meals tend to make people more tired than when they normally would be. Although sleep and water essential to the body and can reduce food cravings, too much sleep can be a bad thing because it can decrease the want to exercise if the individual was overweight.
“A large-scale study at Case Western Reserve University (more than 68,000 women) found that those who sleep less than 5 hours a night gain more weight over time than those who sleep 7 hours a night. The women who slept less were more likely to become obese, and here’s something that may be counterintuitive: the women who slept less consumed fewer calories than the ones who slept a full night, on average.”
http://www.sleepdex.org/weight.htm < the website explains more about this study for those that are interested in reading further.
Every web site that I searched said pretty much the same things about the connection between obesity and sleeping. Moral of the story is, sleep benefits the body is more ways than just keeping your energy up.
This post is really interesting. I completely agree about wanting to sleep above all else and how hard getting the right amount of sleep can be. I have recently decided that when I am too tired to do my homework in the evening, that I just go to bed earlier than I normally would and wake up early to complete it--pretty much what I'm doing right now! Good post. Very relevant to your topic. Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement! That's how I felt that week, I could barely keep my eyes open so I wanted to keep it relevant. I know how you're feeling.
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