After All, Sleep Is Important!

As I was un-excitedly browsing through Twitter posts, but finding myself unable to stop, I came across something that did strike my interest.  The LA Times Health posted the link to a story in their newspaper explaining how sleep deprivation actually decreases one's ability to lose body fat.

Although, previously, many may have thought that sleeping less may not effect the body, and perhaps even increase weight lose due to more energy usage, they are wrong.  Studies show that a lack of sleep actually causes the body to burn necessary proteins as well as muscle and tissue developers in the body.

"For dieters who had a full night's worth, more than half of the weight they lost was fat.  But when the researchers cut three hours off their bedtime, only a quarter of the weight the study participants lost was fat... The researchers theorize that it's because of the way sleep affects the level of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger and promotes fat retention."

Clearly, sleep decreases the levels of this hormone.  It is produced in more excess when the brain in not in its resting state, therefore sleep loss increases ghrelin, promoting more fat retention and hunger in the body.

So, due to these new studies of yet another benefit of sleep, shall we finally put it to bed that our mother's are right is saying that we need our sleep?