In an amazingly simplistic view of how things work, we have been told for the last 40 years that fat makes us fat. So we cut out the fat from our diets and discovered that we were not only still fat but unhealthy too. Then we were told that we needed to cut out even more fat and increase our visits to the gym. And to top it off, we were handed a copy of the government approved food pyramid or the diet of the National Cancer Institute and told that this is what we are supposed to eat to reach our ideal weight and be healthy. Now we are fatter than ever, riddled with degenerative disease and dying at an earlier age than our parents did. What are we doing wrong?

A recent study from the United Kingdom reports that the lower the number of hours you sleep, the higher the likelihood you will put on extra weight. These findings apply to all age groups including children. The research team reviewed the findings from 696 studies on the effects of sleep time on weight gain. They found a solid relationship between hours of sleep and risk of obesity. All the studies of adults as well as children showed a significant and consistent negative association between Body Mass Index and hours of sleep.

Another study reports that sleeping too little is linked to increased risk of stroke. While the researchers point out that their findings can be applied only to the postmenopausal women in the study, other experts are saying that the same relationship between sleep and stroke risk is universal.

Is it possible that the risk of obesity is not only controlled by what we eat but also how we sleep? T. S. Wiley warned us about this connection back in the year 2000 in her groundbreaking book Lights Out. A number of other studies have documented the adverse effects of sleep deprivation and its heightened risk of obesity and death, but it doesn’t seem like we want to listen. Maybe a look at the mechanisms that support this connection will increase motivation.  Read the complete article from Natural News Here.

The Begin to be Thin Weight Loss program includes a 36 minute sleep inducing mp3 to help you get the rest you need!  This recording can also be purchased on it’s own at www.remembersleep.com