INSOMNIA LINKED WITH HORMONE IMBALANCE AND WEIGHT GAIN
Insomnia has long been associated with weight gain and obesity. Now researchers at UCLA have found out why.
In a study slated for publication in the May issue of the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, Sarosh Motivala and colleagues looked at two hormones (ghrelin and leptin) that are primarily responsible for telling the body when it is hungry and when it is full. The study found that chronic insomnia disrupts one of these two hormones.
Researchers compared 24 healthy sleepers with 14 chronic insomniacs suffering from chronic insomnia and measured the levels of the two hormones at various times throughout the night. They found that while leptin levels averaged out over the night to be roughly the same between the two groups, levels of ghrelin were 30 percent lower in insomnia sufferers.
“The current study shows that insomnia patients have a dysregulation in energy balance that could explain why these patients gain weight over time,” notes Motivala. “This is an exciting finding because it highlights how diverse behaviors like sleep and eating are connected. We are just beginning to explore the possible consequences of these connections, but it is another example of the importance of a good night’s sleep for the body.”
Psychoneuroendocrinology – May 2009;34:540-45.
Insomnia has long been associated with weight gain and obesity. Now researchers at UCLA have found out why.
In a study slated for publication in the May issue of the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, Sarosh Motivala and colleagues looked at two hormones (ghrelin and leptin) that are primarily responsible for telling the body when it is hungry and when it is full. The study found that chronic insomnia disrupts one of these two hormones.
Researchers compared 24 healthy sleepers with 14 chronic insomniacs suffering from chronic insomnia and measured the levels of the two hormones at various times throughout the night. They found that while leptin levels averaged out over the night to be roughly the same between the two groups, levels of ghrelin were 30 percent lower in insomnia sufferers.
“The current study shows that insomnia patients have a dysregulation in energy balance that could explain why these patients gain weight over time,” notes Motivala. “This is an exciting finding because it highlights how diverse behaviors like sleep and eating are connected. We are just beginning to explore the possible consequences of these connections, but it is another example of the importance of a good night’s sleep for the body.”
Psychoneuroendocrinology – May 2009;34:540-45.
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