How Sleeping In Can Make You Fitter

by Madeline Haller June 18, 2012, 08:56 pm EDT

How do you make it to the Big Leagues? Practice, says the old adage (thoughAllen Iverson famously questioned that wisdom).

How do you stay there? Get your sleep, says new research presented at SLEEP 2012, the 26th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. Indeed, the more sleep-deprived a pro athlete, the more likely he was to find himself on the waiver wire.

Want to stay in the bigs? Get your rest.

The details: Researchers analyzed the lifestyles of 55 NFL draftees and 40 major league baseball players over three years. They found that football players who did not get sufficient sleep had only a 38 percent chance of staying with the team that originally drafted them. Baseball players who reported higher levels of daytime sleepiness had attrition rates as high as 86 percent—well above the 30 to 35 percent MLB average for any year. (Speaking of pro athletes, pick up The Athletes’ Book of Home Remedies for DIY answers to all your athletic blunders.)

“Deep sleep is crucial for muscle recovery, bone mineralization, bouncing back from injuries, as well as illness recovery,” says W. Christopher Winter, M.D., lead study author and a Men’s Health sleep advisor. “Without proper rest, it’s harder for athletes to perform at a pro level.”

But the pros aren’t the only ones affected by a lack of sleep. Check out how a lack of ZZZ’s is harmful to your health.

Your Anxiety Skyrockets

Researchers from the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, exposed 18 people to a series of unpleasant or neutral images and monitored how their brains reacted to each photo. The first session took place after a normal night’s sleep, and the second after a sleep-deprived night. The results: Sleep-deprived people were more anxious, and showed more activity in the amygdala—the part of the brain associated with responding to negative and unpleasant experiences.

Your Driving Skills Take a Hit

The driving skills of 30 medical trainees were tested, split between those who worked an overnight shift and those who scored a full night of sleep. Both groups were asked to complete a boring simulation course. The researchers analyzed driving ability, reaction times, and average speed. Not only did the sleep-deprived drivers fail to control their speed, they also had difficulty maintaining a straight line. (If you’re sometimes guilty of driving when tired, make sure you read 5 Ways to Prevent Drowsy Driving.)

Your Waistline May Pay the Price

In another study, 23 adults rated their desire for healthy or unhealthy food after getting a normal night’s sleep or a night of sleep deprivation. By using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers from the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, discovered the sleep-deprived had increased brain activity in the frontal lobe—the region responsible for controlling behavior and making complex choices. The researchers hypothesized that this is why sleepier people choose unhealthier foods. (If you’re one of the night owls struggling to make healthier decisions in the wee hours, kill two birds with one stone, and try these 6 Foods for Better Sleep.)

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FILED UNDER: appetite, diet, health, sleep, sleep deprivation, weight

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