Well… finally! Someone is speakin’ my language – which means that basically they’re relegating their speech to only words I want to hear. It seems that my four new holiday pounds are not due to the fact that the pie chart of my Thanksgiving plate (or plates) looked like a Ying-Yang symbol built entirely of garlic mashed potatoes and fresh herbed stuffing. Nope, instead it seems that the Evil Four lbs. have settled onto my glut-ular region because I stayed up ‘til 4am drinking wine and talking to friends and did not get any sleep. (Let’s not address how I conveniently voided out any blame that could be placed on the wine. – *wink* – Smart.)

Fancy studies are showing increasing evidence suggesting that sleep and weight loss is related! (How exciting is that!<em>) Sure, I’m probably simplifying it to rationalize a nice after-hotdog nap instead of a trip to the gym – but researchers think that the quality of your sleep and how much you sleep might orchestrate a “symphony of hormonal activity tied to your appetite.” <em>Aren’t those researchers eloquent!

David Rapoport, MD and associate professor and director of the New York University School of Medicine in NYC (Take a moment to visualize all the slashes on his business card, then commence feeling like a schlub.) says, “One of the more interesting ideas that has been smoldering and is now gaining momentum is the appreciation of the fact that sleep and sleep disruption do remarkable things to the body -- including possibly influencing our weight.” - I gotta be honest with ya’ Rapoport, considering my affinity for a nap - I like your message!

It all has to do with hormones (oh, geesh… not those guys again,) Yep, those same hormones that have me catching a ride on the crazy train once a month are now trying to infiltrate my sleep patterns and, in turn, my stomach – they won’t stop until they’re completely running the show!



And just who are the ringleaders of this hostile take-over?

According to Michael Breus, PhD. And faculty member of the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and director of The Sleep Disorders Center of Southeastern Lung Care in Atlanta, the hormones leptin and ghrelin are the culprits. Working together as a kind of “checks and balances” system to control feelings of hunger and fullness – ghrelin stimulating your brain into wanting a hotdog (or some other less worthy snack), and then that fat cell producing jerk leptin sends your brain a little memo letting you know when you’ve ingested enough.

“When you don’t get enough sleep, it drives leptin levels down, which means you don’t feel as satisfied after you eat.” Breus explains where the sleep vs. no-sleep portion of this equation comes in, “Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food.” We’re pretty sure he meant to say hotdogs. Regardless… this spells ‘t-r-o-u-b-l-e’ for your waistline – and that spells ‘c-r-a-p’.

And while we here at ProjectBeauty.com aren’t exactly sayin’ that snoozing your life away will flatten your belly and thin out your thighs – we are sayin’, “Hey! There’s something to this whole sleep/losing weight thing.” Kinda gives the term ‘getting your beauty sleep’ a whole ‘nother level of relevance – no?



'til Next Time!