It is commonly known today that in order to lose weight, we must eat right and exercise properly. But many studies have also shown a strong link between sleep duration and being overweight. Find out more with illume-emag
Scientists have found that extending the nightly sleep duration of overweight subjects can lead to a significant reduction in daily calorie intake. Sleep loss is known to cause changes in hormones like ghrelin (which increases appetite) and leptin (which indicates fullness). As a result, late-night sleepers tend to feel hungry and want to eat more than early sleepers.
Sleep and brain connection.
When you have insomnia, your body starts to crave more food. If this situation persists, your weight will increase day by day. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when people are sleep-deprived, they tend to snack more at night and tend to choose high-carb foods. In another study, sleep-deprived people chose twice as many high-fat snacks as those who got eight hours of sleep.
In addition, a lack of sleep causes the brain to shut down in the frontal lobes, which focus on decision-making and impulse control, making bad decisions such as finding it difficult to resist junk food, thus failing to lose weight.
Sleep is brain “nutrition.”
Most people need 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Sleep deprivation affects two hormones that control your body’s hunger feelings. These two hormones are called ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is a hormone that signals to the brain that it’s time to eat, and when you’re sleep-deprived, your body releases more ghrelin.
Moreover, researchers at the University of Chicago found that within just four days of not getting enough sleep, the body’s ability to produce insulin—a hormone needed to change sugars, starches, and other substances into energy—is reduced by about 30%. When there is not enough insulin, the body will have a hard time processing fat, so this fat will be stored, causing obesity.
Adequate sleep helps you control your diet better.
People who get enough sleep will have better energy regeneration and will feel more relaxed, refreshed, and optimistic. In contrast, people who sleep less tend to be more exhausted and stressed, which will make it more difficult for them to maintain their diet because stressed people are easy to get tempted.
In addition, sleep loss makes the body sluggish and tired. Consequently, we are less active and want to rest more, doing things like lying down and watching TV rather than exercising. A good night’s sleep lasting about 7-8 hours will make you feel full of energy and give you more motivation to strive to achieve many goals in work and life, including losing some weight.
Here are some before-sleep habits that help you sleep and support weight loss:
- Keeping the bedroom temperature cooler can help you burn more fat by activating fat cells. The body will burn more energy to heat you up, and you will lose weight more effectively.
- Going to bed and waking up at a fixed time
- Avoid using electronic devices before going to bed.
- Drinking herbal tea before sleeping.