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The lack of sleep - Many studies suggest that people who sleep less tend to be heavier. One possible reason for this may be the way sleep deprivation lowers the level of leptin, the hormone that tells your brain your stomach is full, and increases your level of ghrelin, the hormone that tells you you're hungry.
In one study, the leptin levels in men who slept only four hours on two consecutive nights dropped 18 percent, and their ghrelin levels rose 28 percent. The men said they felt a lot hungrier than usual.
People in the United States now sleep an average of less than 7 hours a night, and getting restful sleep becomes more difficult with age. Obesity itself can cause sleep apnea, a breathing difficulty that disrupts sleep, and this problem contributes to weight gain.
Heating and air conditioning also may contribute to weight gain. Both shivering and sweating burn calories, but we do less of each when we live in a building with efficient climate control.
Some doctors believe that we’re genetically programmed to gain weight when it gets chilly either in winter or when we have nice cool air conditioning. "Your body may be working against you to hang on to it so you stay warm,” said Lawrence Cheskin, MD, founder of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore, in an interview with Prevention magazine.
Fat is a great insulator and it really does a great job of keeping you warm. Before the days of forced air heating and good insulation, a few extra pounds could mean the difference between life and death.
One study found that women in a respiration chamber kept at nearly 81 degrees burned about 239 calories a day more than women kept at 71.6 degrees. Also, higher temperatures tend to make people less hungry.
Winter often means enjoying less physical activity outside in the cold and more cocoa to try to warm up. Foods which are high in calories and fat, break down more slowly in the digestive tract, releasing a steady flow of energy to the body and raising internal body temperature.
Here is a thought--Chili peppers, which contain capsaicin, quickens the body’s metabolism and produces heat.
Yeah! Somebody found a bright spot for me about moving back to FL!
lol. Whenever I visit family in FL during the summer, I notice everyone hides indoors in 68F air conditioning. We live in Boones Mill, VA, and own a horse farm. We go to various regional riding competitions throughout competition season which runs from April to November. In Florida, it's too damn hot to compete in Dressage so their competition season "heats up" in November and runs through the winter.
I also notice heat being a contributing factor in reduced hunger. During the summer when I'm working on farm projects outside, I burn more calories but I also eat less and drink more fluids. When it's 90F outside and you work outdoors 4 hours a day, you tend to keep your house AC at around 78F rather than 68F because your internal thermostat has adapted to the heat. So I tend to lose 3 pounds during the warmer months and add 3 pounds during the winter.
Sean
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