The Relationship Between Weight Gain and Sleep Deprivation - Essay Sample

Introduction

Weight gain is a common issue in the world today. It generally refers to an increase in weight. It comes about as a result of an increase in mass, muscle, fat and body fluid. Salt retention, medications, fluid retention, kidney failure, infusion of the intravenous fluid or the failure of the heart is the main causes of an increase in body fluid. An increase in the body muscles usually results from practice (Bayon et al., 2014). Failure to exercise and poor diet causes an increase in fat whereby there is the conversion of muscles into fats. When the gain in weight is in excess, the situation is referred to as obesity.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

On the other hand, sleep is defined as the process when both the brain and the body are in an inactive mode and resting. This definition has changed during the 1950s to infer sleep as an active process which is required to maintain normal functioning of the body (Rosen, 2015). This process can be divided into two stages which are the rapid eye movement (REM) and the on-rapid eye movement (NREM). The NREM is composed of four stages where each is defined by its unique brave wave activity, which increases as the stages advance (Rosen, 2015). It should be noted that the stages are cyclical and repetitive throughout the night. the rapid eye movement usually proceeds the non-rapid eye movement stage which is characterized by an increase in heart rate, and dreaming (Rosen, 2015).there is vast research that has been conducted in relation to the role that sleep performs in the human body. Scientifically, it is both a circadian rhythm as well as a homeostatic cycle. Circadian rhythm lasts or twenty-four hours which is under the control of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (Rosen, 2015).

Obesity which is an excess in body weight is an interesting topic since it is considered an epidemic whose effects are felt in terms of health, social and economic costs. The impact on healthcare costs is extreme. It is a condition that does not only requires treatment but also cause a number of health complications such as stroke, type two diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis, hypertension, cancer, gallstones, fertility issues among women, and other health-related complications (Rosen, 2015). According to research, 86.3 percent of the American population is at risk of suffering from obesity if the current trend persists and that by 2030, the index will be at 51.1%. The impact will be felt in the health sector whereby the healthcare costs will shoot to 860.7 - 956.9 billion US dollars (Rosen, 2015). Other expenses include the social costs among the adult population and the young. When a person is obese, he or she may not be in a position to get involved in physical activities and the associated stigma leads to discrimination in places of work and social gatherings. Because of the above mentioned risks, the role of sleep deprivation in obesity cannot be overlooked (Hales et al., 2018). Intervention is required not only in the treatment of obese cases but also in counseling persons regarding positive sleeping routines. The education should also cover school children on the importance of having adequate sleep with the help of their parents and guardians. When it comes to the adults, they should strive to maintain a proper sleeping schedule. It, therefore, implies that the public should be made conscious of the negative effects that sleep deprivation has on their health.

Rosen (2015) studied the mechanism of weight gain in sleep-deprived persons. The method employed in this particular research involved collection of data from online sources using the library of Touro College. The keywords used to search for information included obesity, sleep deprivation, leptin, energy expenditure, weight gain, and ghrelin. The researcher sought to establish the link between reduced sleep times and weight and the mechanism involved. The results of the study show that sleep deprivation and weight gain are correlated. Sleep deprivation has an influence in the ghrelin levels and leptin levels that drives a person to take in excess calorie and cause hunger. When a person is deprived of sleep, the individual has more time to eat during the hours that are awake at night (Rosen, 2015). The extra number of hours that the person spent awake results in an increase in energy expenditure compensated by intake of energy that ultimately results in weight gain. The researcher also noted that obstructive sleep apnea impacts on the sleep patterns of obese individuals and may be the cause of the further increase in body weight. The precaution to be taken is avoidance of excessive consumption of calories in order to maintain the weight of the body even I a sleep-deprived state.

Frank (2014) conducted research on the effects that chronic sleep deprivation has on a person's eating behavior. The researchers observed the relationship between deprived sleep conditions and the intake of vegetables and fruit nutrients. The study involved 152 students from the University of Kentucky who were required to submit their daily and weekly account of their sleeping habits, height, dietary habits and demographics through an online survey. The study established a close correlation between sleep deprivation and energy consumption among university students. However, the sample used was small and there is a need to involve even a larger sample to accurately study variable relationships.

Vargas, Flores & Robles (2014) conducted a research on the quality of sleep and body mass index among college students to investigate the effect that sleep disturbances cause. The study involved 515 college students who completed an online survey that involved the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). They submitted their body weight and height in order to calculate the body mass index (BMI). From the research, it was found out that the overweight was closely associated with sleep disturbances. It could be used as a predictor of overweight among the adult population.

Conclusion

From the literature and research studies presented above, it is evident that sleep deprivation closely correlates with weight gain by causing excessive intake of calorific food. Such a trend is costly to the economic, social and health development of a nation. As a result, there is a need for creating awareness programs for both the young and adult populations on the benefits of healthy sleeping habits. It is also noted that sleep disturbances and deprivation cases mostly occur among the adult population and that it is this disturbance that causes a gain in body weight rather than the sleep durations involved. Sleep deprivation is also linked to cases of obesity and that a large proportion of the college students are at risk. Other helpful programs would be on healthy eating habits especially during the sleep-deprived states to control the body weights.

References

Bayon, V., Leger, D., Gomez-Merino, D., Vecchierini, M. F., & Chennaoui, M. (2014). Sleep debt and obesity. Annals of medicine, 46(5), 264-272.

Frank, S. (2014). Effects of Acute and Chronic Sleep Deprivation on Eating Behavior.

Hales, C. M., Fryar, C. D., Carroll, M. D., Freedman, D. S., & Ogden, C. L. (2018). Trends in obesity and severe obesity prevalence in US youth and adults by sex and age, 2007-2008 to 2015-2016. Jama, 319(16), 1723-1725.

Rosen, C. (2015). The Mechanisms of Weight Gain in Sleep-Deprived Individuals. The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences, 9(1), 4.

Vargas, P. A., Flores, M., & Robles, E. (2014). Sleep quality and body mass index in college students: the role of sleep disturbances. Journal of American College Health, 62(8), 534-541.