How Not Getting Enough Sleep Increases Belly Fat

When it comes to my personal health goals, longevity has always been one of them. I want to live as happily and healthily as I can for as a long as I can—which is why I’m always keeping up with the latest research. And as your friend and community advocate, my goal is to keep you “in the know” with regards to news, studies, and information that could affect you. There is SO much information out there, which can feel overwhelming, and I see parsing through the info (and the B.S.) as part of my job. That’s where this week’s blog post stems from. 

Today, I want to talk about belly fat and sleep. If you’ve been in the community for a while, you may have read older blog posts I’ve written, like How To Shed Your Menopausal Middle, 4 Ways That Women Can Reduce Belly Fat, or 3 Reasons Why Sleep Is Essential For Health, so you know these two topics interest me. Well, a recent study on both caught my eye, and I wanted to give you a quick overview of the study’s findings. 

The Study

On March 28, 2022, a study was published with new research from Mayo Clinic. Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (aka not another company promoting their own interests), the study was designed to determine if there was a correlation between the amount of sleep participants got and the amount of total abdominal fat and visceral fat they had. As you might recall from this blog post, visceral fat is very dangerous, as it surrounds our vital organs and can influence our hormone function.

The study was with healthy people who were not obese, and over the course of two 21-day sessions, participants were either given a normal amount or sleep or a restricted amount of sleep. They had free choice of food throughout the study, and researchers monitored and measured their energy intake (calories in), energy expenditure (calories burned), body weight, body composition, fat distribution (including visceral fat or fat inside the belly) and circulating appetite biomarkers.

Here are my CliffNotes of the study findings: 

• Shortened sleep, even in young, healthy, relatively lean subjects, was associated with an increase in calorie intake, a very small increase in weight, and a significant increase in fat accumulation inside the belly

• Inadequate sleep was shown to increase visceral fat in the participants

• Catching up on sleep did not reverse the visceral fat accumulation

• Taking a participant’s weight alone was not an effective measure of the correlation between sleep and belly fat. In other words, the change in weight in participants was minimal, but the increase in visceral fat was significant. So if you want an adequate look at your visceral fat levels, I highly recommend taking your waistline measurement or your hip-to-waist ratio. I’ve explained waistline measurements in detail in this blog post! 

• The potential effects of consistent inadequate sleep are concerning. Researchers said that it leads to progressive and cumulative increase in visceral fat over several years. 

You can find the full study and press release here! 

What You Can Do

If you’re reading this and feel some anxiety creep in, fear not—there’s a lot we can do to avoid taking on more visceral fat. The most effective fix would be to get yourself on a regular sleep schedule. I have a host of blog posts on how to get better sleep, which I’ve linked below.

For better sleep: 

• Top 3 Reasons Why Sleep Is So Important (And How To Get More Of It)

• ​​How To Makeover Your Bedroom For Sleep Hygiene & Better Sleep

• How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep, According To A Sleep Doctor

• The Importance of Sleep & Tips For Getting Enough Of It

If you’re someone who works in shifts and regular sleep isn’t guaranteed or doable, researchers say that factors like increased exercise and healthy food choices can help. Below I’ve linked my best blog posts on exercise and eating. There is a TON of expert info in them! 

For healthier eating: 

• How My Diet Has Changed As I’ve Aged

• What I Eat To Stay Lean and Healthy After 60

• ​​5 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Weight

• The One Food That Has Completely Changed My Body

• 5 Of My Favorite Protein Powders On The Market

• 10 Foods To Stop Buying & Make Yourself Instead

• How To Shed Your Menopausal Middle

• 4 Ways That Women Can Reduce Belly Fat

• How Women Over 50 Should Be Eating To Balance Blood Sugar

For more movement: 

• Here's Why All Women Over 50 Need An Exercise Revamp

• 20 Benefits Of Walking For 30 Minutes A Day

• The 4 Exercises Every Woman Over 50 Should Do

• How To Make Walking More Enjoyable

• How To Build Your Own Home Gym: My Top Tips

• 5 Affordable Pieces Of Workout Equipment You Can Travel With

• Why Everyone (Yes, Everyone) Should Lift Heavy Weights

• Why Jumping Rope Is My #1 Go-To Exercise (& How To Do It)

Finally, the power of lifestyle changes comes from your ability to sustain them—and I’ve always found community to be the best form of accountability. I hope you’ll consider joining the Pure Joy Squad (a new private Facebook group launching June 30!). For more information on the Squad, you can click here. 

Oh, and make sure you’re following us on Instagram so you are up-to-date on all things PJW! Until next time… 

Xo, 

Renata