Including stress and poor sleep… hidden reasons for weight gain

There is no doubt that weight gain is an annoying problem, and often the reasons are not clear.

As we age, physiological changes occur that affect weight, the most prominent of which is muscle loss. Starting in middle age, we lose about 1% of muscle mass annually, which affects body strength and metabolism (the rate at which calories are burned).

In this context, Carolyn Apovian, an obesity medicine specialist and director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women’s Hospital affiliated with Harvard University, said, “Smaller muscle mass consumes fewer calories. So if your diet does not change, you are still eating calories.” “More calories than you need, and the excess will be stored as fat.”

Here are some other age-related factors that can affect weight:

1- Chronic stress: As we age, it becomes more difficult to deal with stress. If you are constantly stressed, you may have persistently high levels of the hormone cortisol. One of the functions of cortisol is to help the body refill energy stores. In some people, this may indirectly cause weight gain by increasing appetite (because the body thinks it needs energy) and increasing the storage of unused energy in the form of fat.

Here, Apovian went on to say that “often, stress leads to compulsive behaviors, such as eating (convenience) foods, which are often full of sugar, unhealthy fats, excess calories, and salt,” according to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

2- Poor sleep: Changes associated with aging affect our ability to sleep well. In this context, Apovian explained, “If you suffer from chronic lack of sleep, meaning that you sleep 6 hours or less every night, this may affect the hormones that regulate appetite. Sleeping for short periods is associated with higher levels of hormones that make us feel hungry.” “And lower levels of the hormones that make us feel full, and higher levels of cortisol.”

3- Changes in sex hormones: Older men and women suffer from a decline in some specific sex-related hormones. In women, low estrogen levels are associated with sleep problems and increased body fat. As for men, low testosterone levels are associated with low muscle mass.

Health conditions behind weight gain

Weight gain, especially if it’s new, can indicate a number of health conditions. For example, someone with heart failure may experience weight gain due to fluid retention, which may appear as swelling in the feet, ankles, legs, or abdomen. Here, Apovian expressed her belief that “this is likely to be accompanied by symptoms such as feeling tired or short of breath.”

Other underlying conditions associated with being overweight include:

– Diabetes.

– Some kidney diseases.

– Disordered breathing during sleep (sleep apnea).

– Thyroid problems.

Taking certain medications regularly can cause weight gain. Some medications, such as prednisone, can cause the body to retain fluids, which increases weight.

In addition, there are many medications that affect the chemicals in the brain that regulate appetite, which may make you feel hungrier than usual, and thus you may eat larger amounts of food, which leads to weight gain. and for example:

– Antidepressants, such as paroxetine (Paxil) or phenelzine (Nardil).

– Antihistamines containing diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl).

– Antipsychotics, such as clozapine (Clozaril) or olanzapine (Zyprexa).

– Beta blockers, such as atenolol (Tenormin) or metoprolol (Lopressor).

– Sleep aids that contain diphenhydramine, such as Sominex, Unisom SleepGels, or ZzzQuil.

Other possible causes

Some possible causes of weight gain are not yet fully understood, or are still being studied.

Among them, eating late at night. Some evidence, including a 2022 Harvard University study, suggests that eating late at night may increase appetite during the day, slow metabolism and increase the accumulation of body fat.

Another suspected factor behind weight gain is the community of microorganisms that live in the gut (their genes are known as the microbiome). Considerable evidence suggests that gut microbiota may influence appetite, metabolism, blood sugar and fat storage. The strongest evidence supporting this possibility is related to animal studies. In humans, the evidence is less clear.

In this context, Apovian revealed studies that found that “the microorganisms in the intestines of obese people differ from those of thin people.”

However, she continued: “But we do not know whether this leads to weight gain. Perhaps people who are genetically predisposed to being overweight have a certain type of microbiome. Or perhaps it is that obese people eat differently from thin people. “That may change the microbiome. We certainly need more research to get better answers.”