By Nana Kwarteng and Elizabeth Jane Hall
If one-third of your assets lie in the prosperity of a certain company, you would probably monitor the progress of that company often. Time is a commodity too. We spend one-third of our lives sleeping. How does sleep of short duration contribute to the epidemic of obesity, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes? Has it contributed to your weight gain? Does good sleep help with weight loss if one is obese?
Fredrick had always taken pride in his good looks, intelligence, and health. An avid exerciser and former health coach, he was kind and likable, often traveling the world. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he became isolated while working from home. He stayed up late chatting with friends. Over the next two years, he gained noticeable abdominal fat, often referred to as a potbelly. His sleep deteriorated. Five years later, as Fredrick experienced chest pain and saw his doctor, he
Last Generation is a magazine for people seeking spiritual answers to the current issues of our times.
Your subscription will give you:
*Digital-only subscriptions also available
Yong Liu et al., “Prevalence of healthy sleep duration among adults—United States, 2014,” MMWR 65, no. 6 (Feb. 19, 2016), pp. 137–41.
Osamu Itani et al., “Short sleep duration and health outcomes: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression,” Sleep Medicine 32 (April 2017), pp. 246–56.
Qionggui Zhou, Ming Zhang, and Dongsheng Hu, “Dose-response association between sleep duration and obesity risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies,” Sleep and Breathing 23, no. 4 (April 2, 2019), pp. 1035–45.
Marie-Pierre St-Onge et al., “Sleep restriction leads to increased activation of brain regions sensitive to food stimuli,” Am J Clin Nutr 95 no. 4 (April 2012), pp. 818–24.
Ning Ma et al., “How acute total sleep loss affects the attending brain: a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies,” Sleep 38 no. 2 (Feb. 1, 2015), pp. 233–40.
Stephanie M. Greer, Andrea N. Goldstein, and Matthew P. Walker, “The impact of sleep deprivation on food desire in the human brain,” Nat Commun 4 no. 1 (Aug. 6, 2013).
Ibid.
Konstantinos Prokopidis and Yannis Dionyssiotis, “Effects of sleep deprivation on sarcopenia and obesity: A narrative review of randomized controlled and crossover trials,” J Frailty Sarcopenia Falls 6, no. 2 (June 1, 2021), pp. 50–56.
M. D. Corbalán-Tutau, J. A. Madrid, and M. Garaulet, “Timing and duration of sleep and meals in obese and normal weight women. Association with increased blood pressure,” Appetite 59, no. 1 (Aug. 2012), pp. 9–16.
Robert Wolk, Abu S. M. Shamsuzzaman, and Virend K. Somers, “Obesity Sleep Apnea, and Hypertension,” Hypertension 42 no. 6 (Dec. 2003), pp. 1067–74.
“Patients with Type 2 Diabetes or Hypertension Must Be Evaluated for Sleep Apnea,” American Academy of Sleep Medicine—Association for Sleep Clinicians and Researchers, July 30, 2024.
© Shutterstock.com
