Dr. Van Cauter also noted that studies were performed in males only. Because females have higher baseline levels of some hormones (e.g. leptin), sleep restriction might have worse effects in women than in men.

Hey, did you notice groups which were mentioned specifically in last 2 paragraphs that may be more severely affected by sleep deprivation? I'll recap them here again: (1) obese individuals, (2) older adults, and (3) women.

That's really crucial for us because this means if you're a woman over 40, not getting enough sleep will probably make you feel hungry constantly and crave for all unhealthy foods even more as compared to other people. And more overweight you are, more you may be affected by lack of sleep.

Not surprisingly, another study has indeed found an inverse relationship between increased body mass index (BMI) and sleep duration in women. That is, women who do not sleep enough tend to be more overweight than women who get sufficient sleep.

And just in case you still believe in myth that "Oh, it's alright because I'll catch up on my sleep on weekends", you should note that Dr. Van Cauter also made following observation: Sleep debt is generally not paid back fully by weekend sleep. I suppose this is kind of like saying "An apple a day, keeps doctor away" -- eating 7 apples on Sunday instead of 1 a day just isn't going to give you same results!

Now, I'm _not_ saying that you don't have to exercise and all you have to do to lose weight is to sleep it off. Exercise, strength training and physical activities in general are vital components of a permanent weight loss program.

It's simply that if you don't sleep enough, you'll just be making it more difficult for yourself to lose extra weight. There's no point in sabotaging your chances of weight loss success if it's a simple matter of making sure you get enough sleep every night, right? I mean, how much easier can it get?

According to William Dement, Stanford University sleep researcher, adults need about 8 hours of sleep a night. Try your best to get this amount every day, and you'll reduce one more obstacle in your path to attaining your desired ideal weight. Simple idea, isn't it?

Copyright 2005 Tracy Lee

Tracy Lee is the owner of the "Weight Loss for Women Over 40" site. Get the latest news, tips & tricks that can help women over 40 to lose weight safely and permanently, and your complimentary copy of our Special Report "9 Little-Known Insider Weight Loss Secrets To Help Women Over 40 Make Those Extra Pounds Disappear" instantly here:

Organic farming vs. Conventional farming •Traditional farmers use chemical fertilizers in soil to grow crops. Organic farmers build soil with natural fertilizer •In traditional farming, insecticides are used to kill insects and diseases. Organic farmers use insect predators and barriers •Traditional farmers control weed growth by applying synthetic herbicides but crop rotation, tillage, hand weeding and mulches control weeds in Organic fields

Organic foods are not completely chemical free, but pesticide residues will be much lower than those found in produce manufactured with synthetic chemicals.