Try sleeping those pounds off.‘

That advice may sound like it comes from a bad infomercial, but recent research suggests chronic sleep deprivation can affect the body’s metabolism, which, in turn, directly affects your ability to shed those extra pounds.

Sleep deprivation is becoming an American phenomenon. The National Sleep Foundation’s 2002 “Sleep in America” poll found that Americans are chronically behind in their slumber hours, with only 30 percent of adults getting eight or more hours of sleep on weeknights and only 52 percent getting their eight hours on weekends.

Many Americans may also suffer from one or more sleep disorders. The same poll found that 74 percent of respondents experienced at least one symptom of a sleep disorder a few nights per week or more. Fifty-eight percent reported experiencing at least one sign of insomnia a few nights a week.

Could this be why one source says 90 percent of Americans fail to achieve their New Year’s resolutions?

Increasingly, science is suggesting the answer is “yes.” HealthScoutNews