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Your doctor at Chiropractic for Life encourages patients to make getting enough sleep a top priority. Why? Because there are many health benefits to maintaining adequate sleep. It’s well-known that sufficient sleep prevents a myriad of diseases, including cancer and heart disease. Spending time with the sandman also boosts cognitive function, work performance and athletic ability. And it wards off emotional stress, anxiety and depression. But here’s another advantage you may not be aware of: getting enough sleep can help you lose weight and stay trim. New research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism shows that the right anterior cingulate cortex, a specific brain region that contributes to a person’s appetite sensation, is more activated after one night of sleep loss than after one night of normal sleep. Sleep deprivation alters the way the body digests foods — especially how it processes carbohydrates. Disrupting this delicate process hastens weight gain. Missed sleep also triggers hormonal changes — and consequential alterations to the brain and nerve system — that hinder weight loss. The ideal amount of sleep typically ranges from seven to nine hours a night for most adults. It may therefore be important to sleep about eight hours every night to maintain a stable and healthy body weight.Dr. Barbara Smith |
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