How Sleep Can Make You a Healthier Person
Everyone knows that all you need to lose weight is a healthy diet and an efficient workout routine, right? Wrong! Losing (and gaining) weight is much more complicated than that. Besides diet and exercise, which are constantly talked about on social media, there are also hormones, metabolism, and one other overlooked factor that plays a profound role in your weight management: sleep. Yes, sleep! The secret to losing those extra pounds and being able to fight those night-time cravings may be corrected with sleep. In this blog post, we're going to explain the science behind the connection between your sleep habits and your figure.
The Science of Sleep and Weight
Your body is a complex machine, and sleep is the crucial period during which it performs maintenance. While you're resting, your body is hard at work repairing tissues, regulating hormones, and ensuring everything runs smoothly. That includes regulating the hormones responsible for your appetite: leptin and ghrelin.
Leptin: This hormone tells your brain that you're full, and it's time to stop eating. It's like the brake pedal for your appetite.
Ghrelin: Ghrelin, on the other hand, signals your brain that it's time to eat. It's the gas pedal, encouraging you to grab that snack.
When you don't get enough sleep, your body produces less leptin and more ghrelin. In simpler terms, it's like your appetite switch is turned on full blast while the fullness indicator is barely flickering. You feel hungrier, and those late-night cravings become nearly impossible to resist. It’s exactly the opposite of what you want and need to stay healthy.
Lack of Sleep and Weight Gain: The Vicious Cycle
So, what happens when you're tired and trying to stay awake to finish that science report due tomorrow? You wind up grabbing something to eat just to keep active, but you end up eating more, especially foods that are high in calories, sugar, and unhealthy fats. You're not reaching for a crisp apple; you're diving headfirst into a bag of chips. It’s not your fault though, it’s your body trying to fill itself up as fast as possible, and this is done through unhealthy fats and carbs.
Obviously, this extra caloric intake can lead to weight gain. However, it's not just your eating more that’s adding to the bulge. It's also about your body's ability to burn calories. Sleep deprivation can slow down your metabolism, making it harder for your body to burn those extra calories you've consumed.
And it doesn't stop there. Fatigue due to a lack of sleep leads to a lack of motivation for exercise, so you're moving less and burning fewer calories through physical activity. It's a vicious cycle of inadequate sleep leading to poor eating habits, slowed metabolism, and physical inactivity.
Tips for Developing Healthy Sleep and Eating Habits
The good news is that you can break this cycle. By prioritizing your sleep and developing healthy sleep and eating habits, you can take control of your waistline. Here's how to use sleep to keep you in good shape:
Make sure to aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. This way your body produces enough leptin and your appetite doesn’t go haywire.
Also, keep snacks and drinks away from the bedroom. You want it to be a sanctuary for sleep, free from the negative effects of sugar, caffeine and alcohol which prevent you from getting quality sleep.
Throughout the day, pay attention to what you eat, when you eat and how quickly you eat. If you choose balanced, nutritious meals and eat them mindfully, you’ll feel more satisfied and resist the urge to pig out, especially before bed.
A large meal can lead to indigestion and discomfort, preventing the ability to sleep well, so you definitely want to give yourself time to digest your meal - ideally at least two to three hours - before going to sleep.
Staying hydrated can help with this, because consuming adequate water aids in digestion and also keeps you feeling full so you don’t overeat.
Finally, try to exercise at least 30 minutes daily, but avoid intense workouts close to bedtime.
Conclusion
Don't underestimate the importance of a good night's sleep. The connection between sleep, diet, and weight management is undeniable. By making sleep a priority and adopting healthy sleep and eating habits, you can change your life for the better. So, the next time you're tempted to stay up late, remember that a good night's sleep might be the secret ingredient in your health journey. Sweet dreams and a healthier you await!
Works Cited:
Chaput, J. P., Després, J. P., Bouchard, C., & Tremblay, A. (2007). Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin levels and increased adiposity: Results from the Quebec family study. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 15(1), 253–261. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2007.512
Spiegel, K., Tasali, E., Penev, P., & Van Cauter, E. (2004). Brief communication: Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Annals of internal medicine, 141(11), 846–850. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-141-11-200412070-00008
St-Onge, M. P., & Shechter, A. (2014). Sleep disturbances, body fat distribution, food intake and/or energy expenditure: pathophysiological aspects. Hormone molecular biology and clinical investigation, 17(1), 29–37. https://doi.org/10.1515/hmbci-2013-0066
Taheri, S., Lin, L., Austin, D., Young, T., & Mignot, E. (2004). Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin, elevated ghrelin, and increased body mass index. PLoS medicine, 1(3), e62. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0010062
Van Cauter, E., & Knutson, K. L. (2008). Sleep and the epidemic of obesity in children and adults. European journal of endocrinology, 159 Suppl 1(S1), S59–S66. https://doi.org/10.1530/EJE-08-0298