At the top of the list of menopausal symptoms women complain about most frequently is the inability to have a decent night sleep,due to hot and cold flashes, and weight creep. The research to date has shown how sleep deprivation can be a factor in weight gain at any age. But apparently, too much sleep can be just as bad if the results of a six-year Canadian study holds water.
Researchers monitored 276 adults, aged 21-64 from the Quebec Family Study ( a long-running study of the genetics related to obesity). Changes in participants’ body mass index (BMI) were compared between short (5-6 hours), average (7-8 hours) and long (9-10 hours) sleeper groups. The results? Short duration and long duration sleepers were 35% and 25% more likely to gain 10-12 pounds as compared with average duration sleepers. The lesson for us? The pendulum swings both ways. Too little or too much shut eye is not a good thing when it comes to managing your weight. As far as I am concerned, my goal is seven hours, but I’ll take what I can get. How many hours of sleep do you need to feel great?
You can find an abstract of the study here.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Night sweats is my business so I feel I know a thing or two about sleeping and the lack there of during menopause. From what I have understood it is the deep rem sleep that is needed. That is the sleep that is hard to achieve when you are hot cold and miserable through-out the night.
I like 8 hours and I of course wear my own wicking pajamas and take a sleeping pill.
Leave a Comment