SLEEP More, WEIGH Less

Did you know that under-sleeping can lead to poor performance and impaired judgement and has also been linked to depression, obesity, diabetes and hypertension. A new study of 1,200 people showed that the average Australian adult gets less than seven hours sleep a night, below the seven to eight hours recommended by sleep experts.

A study by Columbia University, found people who slept four hours or less per night were 73% more likely to be overweight or obese. Also, people who habitually slept for five hours had 15% more ghrelin, a hormone which increases feelings of hunger, than those who slept for eight hours. Those who slept for less time were also found to have 15% less leptin, a hormone which suppresses appetite. "These differences are likely to increase appetite, and therefore contribute to obesity" Dr Taheri states. The subjects in the study also tended to eat more sweet and starchy foods when sleep was cut short.

While research continues, sleep still remains one of the body's most mysterious processes. We do know that sleep is absolutely necessary for survival and even occasional sleeping problems can make daily life feel more stressful or cause you to be less productive. Sleep loss also affects growth hormone secretion that is linked to obesity and impairs the body's ability to use insulin, which can lead to the onset of diabetes. It is paramount that we discover more about this activity where we spend a third of our lives - sleeping.

There are prescriptions and non-prescription drugs, herbs, remedies, technologies, etc that may help you get a good night's sleep. Some work for some and not for others.

Here are some tips you can try at home tonight. These tips are intended for the average adult, but not necessarily for children or persons experiencing medical problems:

• Imagining - Think of a hammock - you're up off the ground, wrapped in a cocoon of comfort, swaying gently in the open air. The sun is warm on your face and there's a cool breeze blowing you back and forth. This visualisation helps you "see" what the reward for sleeping will be, getting you more in the mood to sleep. Visualisation has proved helpful in developing the appropriate brain wave patterns for sleep.
• Magnesium - Has a calming effect on the nervous system. It is part of bones and cells, especially the smooth cells of arteries, and assists in the absorption of calcium and potassium. Over 300 enzymes in our body need magnesium to function properly. It is so important, that the brain stores a "safety supply" to have in the event of a drop in the magnesium reserves.
• Nutmeg - Grind fresh nutmeg and serve it with warm low fat milk and a touch of honey. Milk is naturally high in calcium and rich in tryptophan; together they can be a powerful tranquilizer (and very delicious).
• Hot foot baths - In the Eastern World, a hot foot bath is a traditional remedy; it draws blood from the brain to calm a racing mind. Try soaking your feet in a hot bath with a cupful of Epsom salts and a few drops of lavender essential oil, which will soothe you. Your feet absorb the magnesium from the Epsom salts and relax you further.
• Stomach rub - Soothes down the digestive system and helps bring about deeper relaxation. Lie on your back and place your hand on your belly button. Begin to make small circles in a clockwise direction as you gently glide your hand over your stomach. Let your circles gradually become bigger and bigger. When your circles reach the outside of your stomach, gradually reduce their size until you are back at your belly button again. Reverse the direction; repeat the whole series with your other hand and do this several times. Doing this with lavender oil can create an even more relaxing experience.
• Listening to an audio book - The brain works like a tape player - with one main auditory loop that processes words. If you fill that loop with an interesting book, there's no room for your own worrisome internal narrative. Especially helpful for those who have continuous thoughts running through their heads.
• Deep breathing - Take a deep breath in then slowly release out - focussing on your breathing causes your mind to get distracted from your worries and focussed on your breathing. Doing this for a few minutes can relax your mind and help you get a more peaceful sleep.
• Turn it off - Sleep experts suggest refraining from doing work, watching television, or being on the computer at least an hour before bed time. This allows your brain to start to 'wind down'.

Gangwisch. D, Malaspina. D, Boden-Albala. B, (2005) Inadequate Sleep as a Risk Factor for Obesity: Analyses of the NHANES I; COlumbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY.

Taheri. S, Lin. L, Austin. D, Young. T, Mignot. E, (2004) Short Sleep Duration is Associated with Reduced Leptin, Elevated Ghrelin, and Increased Body Mass Index. PLos Med 1(3): e62. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0010062.

Major Fast Food Outlets Required to Disclose the Number of Calories in their Food by 2012.

Businesses with more than 200 outlets across Australia, or with 50 in Victoria, will have to display the amount of calories in their food under new Victorian State Government legislation by 2012.

As people order their Big Mac or bucket of crispy chicken, they will be able to see on the menu or on the display board how many kilojoules come with it. (Note: 1 calorie equals 4.2 kilojoules).

Victorian Premier John Brumby says his government is making it compulsory to display the details in a bid to cut down the rate of diabetes and obesity.

'The reason we are doing this is because we have a runaway epidemic in Victoria, right across Australia, particularly with diabetes,' Mr Brumby told reporters.

He said there are up to 270,000 Victorians with diabetes, with a further 20,000 becoming diabetic every year.

'This is a runaway train and we need to drag it back - the best way is by healthier eating and giving consumers information about their eating choices.' Mr Brumby said.

'Many people don't realise that if you eat a big hamburger, with a big coke and a big bag of chips that will be around half of your daily food intake.'

'Many people also don't realise the calories in a large Coke, almost 1,000kj or 20 teaspoonfuls of sugar.' Mr Brumby continued.

Health groups also support the move.

VicHealth Chief Executive Officer, Todd Harper said the plan was likely to be followed by other states.

'I have no doubt it will be popular initiative with consumers and hope that fast food outlets that fall under the threshold will voluntarily adopt it.' Mr Harper said.

'Until now, fast food companies have managed to keep kilojoule counters out of their displays but the time has come to put health first.'

Jane Martin, Senior Policy Adviser for the Obesity Policy Coalition, says clearer labelling on menus will help consumers 'sort the fat from fiction at a glance.'

'Many consumers would be surprised to find that some seemingly innocuous items such as frappes and smoothies contain one quarter of an adult's recommended daily energy intake,' Ms Martin said in a statement.

'To make matters worse many products with healthy sounding names are at the top of the worst offenders list.'

She says some of the highest kilojoule products have names such as Blueberry Blast, Garden Goodness and Green Tea Venti.

'While some of these products contain valuable nutrients, few people would realise that there's less than a 100 kilojoules difference between a Big Mac and the McDonald's Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad,' she said.

Story courtesy of Bigpond News.

Are You Getting Enough Sleep to Lose Weight?

In the last 40 years, the average duration of nightly sleep has decreased by 1-2 hours (1), a time during which the number of people classified as overweight or obese has doubled. It's been hypothesised that there is a correlation between these two trends: and it's not just because more waking hours means more time to eat.

Research has found that sleep deprived rats eat more than rats that are allowed normal amounts of sleep (2,3) . And several studies with human subjects show that people who sleep less are more likely to be overweight (4).

The cause is believed to be two hormones that regulate appetite and energy expenditure: Ghrelin and Leptin. The level of Leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite, is decreased with sleep deprivation; and the level of Ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, is increased with sleep deprivation. So if you are trying to lose weight it's important that you are getting enough sleep.

How Much Sleep is Enough?

There's no perfect level of sleep for everyone, but the following table identifies the 'rule-of-thumb' amounts most experts have agreed:

Age / Sleep Needs Per Night (hours)
1-2 months: 10.5 - 18
3-11 months: 9-12 + 1-4 x 0.5 - 2 hour naps
1-3 years: 12-14
3-5 years: 11-13 hours
5-12 years: 10-11 hours
11-17 years: 8.5-9.25 hours
Adults: 7-9 hours
Older adults: 7-9 hours

To determine your own sleep needs, assess how you feel with different amounts of sleep.

How Can I Get More Sleep?

1. Make sleep a priority - don't make it the thing you do when everything else is done. If you have a daily planner; schedule sleep into it.
2. Drink a glass of milk before going to bed. Milk contains the amino acid Tryptophan, which may facilitate sleep.
3. Don't eat in the 2-3 hours before going to bed and aim to go to bed feeling content (i.e. neither full nor hungry). Going to bed hungry can affect your sleep as much as going to bed on a full stomach.
4. Exercise on a regular basis; avoiding the three hours before your bedtime. Some people exercise close to bedtime in the hope it will exhaust them; but this tactic can backfire as exercise stimulates the body by increasing your heart rate and metabolism.
5. Reduce your alcohol consumption. Although alcohol may help you fall asleep, it can disrupt your normal sleep pattern during the second half of the night and leave you feeling tired.
6. Avoid caffeinated drinks and foods after midday. This includes coffee, tea, cola and chocolate. If you are having trouble sleeping; try avoiding caffeine entirely and see if your sleep patterns improve.
7. Avoid smoking in the six hours before your bedtime (nicotine is a stimulant).
8. Avoid drinking too many fluids before bedtime to minimise night time urination.

References:

1. National Sleep Foundation, 2002, 'Sleep in America'
2. Danguir J and Nicolaidis S. 1979, 'Dependence of Sleep on Nutrients' Availability' Journal of Physiology and Behaviour vol. 22, pp. 735-740.
3. Everson CA, Bergmann BM, Rechtschaffen A. 1989, 'Sleep Deprivation in the Rat: III. Total Sleep Deprivation' Sleep vol. 12 pp. 13-21.
4. Hasler G, Buysse D, Klaghofer R, Gamma A, Ajdacic V, et al. 2004, 'The Association Between Short Sleep Duration and Obesity in Young Adults: A 13-year Prospective Study' Sleep vol.27 pp. 661-666.

Meal Timing for Weight Loss

If you are trying to lose weight (or maintain a healthy weight) you need to eat approximately every 3 hours and consume five small meals a day. If you consume less than five small meals a day your metabolism will slow making it difficult for you to lose weight. At the Wesley Weight Management Clinic we recommend eating at the following times:

• Breakfast: 6.00am - 8.00am
• Morning Tea: 10.00am - 11.00am
• Lunch: 12.00pm - 2.00pm
• Afternoon Tea: 3.00pm - 5.00pm
• Dinner: 6.00pm - 8.00pm (try and finish your last meal before 8.00pm).

If you leave more than three hours between your meals you may feel hungry - and it's very difficult to maintain your resolve to lose weight when you feel hungry all the time! Plus when you know when your next meal is, you are less likely to turn to convenience foods.

Healthy Meals

A healthy meal or snack is small in portion size but fills you up for at least 2-3 hours. So next time you are tempted to grab fast food on the run or reach for the biscuit jar at work, ask yourself, "Is there a better choice I could make to help me get through the day?". Then try the following:

- If your meal or snack won't fill you up for at least two hours, consider more healthy options. Low fat, low GI snacks with protein will help you feel full for longer: try low fat yoghurt, fruit, light cheese and wholegrain crackers.

- If it's less than three hours before your last meal, think about your real motivation for eating. Ask yourself questions such as, "Am I really hungry?" and "How will I feel afterwards?". You may find that you are engaging in non hungry eating.

- If you have a tendency to eat out of habit, i.e. you tend to snack at certain places or times of the day, think of ways to break these habits. For example, don't keep a stash of chocolate in your top drawer at work.

- Don't attach emotions to food. If you eat when you are stressed or bored; think about alternate, non food-related ways to improve your mood such as going for a brief walk.

- Before you eat, sit down and place your food on a plate: that way you are more likely to acknowledge the calories.

Eating the right foods at the right time can make a huge impact on your weight loss efforts. For more information, see our article Five Tips for Easier Weight Loss.

Meal Replacements: A Great Tool with the Right Advice

Meal replacements are designed to assist in controlling calorie intake, a critical plank for weight loss. But they can also be confusing, frustrating and disappointing and leave you back where you started.
That's because most meal replacements are sold without any advice, or any supervision from a health professional; as demonstrated by a recent CHOICE Magazine study. This lack of advice leaves you to work out your own treatment plan, adding to the increased chance of failure.

The Benefits of Using Meal Replacements

Used correctly, meal replacements can be a great short term weight loss tool. At the Wesley Weight Management Clinic we've found that meal replacements:

• Help you to become accustomed to eating smaller portion sizes
• Promote independence from food
• Narrow your food choices, allowing you to manage the amount and type of food you consume (people consume fewer calories when presented with a smaller selection of food)
• Increase your rate of weight loss
• Help you to feel satiated (not hungry) for longer
• Can provide all of the essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs if you choose a nutritionally balanced formulation (at the Wesley Weight Management Clinic we use Optifast 800)
• Help to regulate your blood sugar levels and maintain energy levels
• Help you form a habit of eating at regular intervals and focusing on one meal or snack at a time
• Require minimal preparation and fit easily into a busy schedule.

Get the Right Advice

If you want to use a meal replacement as a tool for weight loss, you should engage the assistance of a suitably qualified health professional such as a Dietitian or Doctor.

A health professional can help you work out an appropriate schedule of meal replacements, monitor your rate of weight loss and the nutritional quality of your diet, provide advice if you experience any side effects and help you transition back onto normal food when you reach your weight loss goal.

This advice is critical if you have Diabetes or Hypertension: meal replacements can change your symptoms or impact upon the effectiveness of your medication.

Life After Using a Meal Replacement

Meal replacements aren't a long term weight loss solution. When you reach your weight loss goal you need to transition back onto 'normal' food gradually. You also need to learn the skills you need to keep your weight off for life, including meal planning, healthy grocery shopping, meal portioning, exercise and low fat cooking.

For more information about the healthy use of meal replacements, talk to your Doctor or you can ask the health professionals at the Wesley Weight Management Clinic about our weight loss program.