The Connection Between Sleep And Your Waistline

Lose weight while you sleep? Sounds like a myth doesn’t it! Before jumping on to conclusions, read up! Undoubtedly research has found and established fascinating connections between sleep and weight loss. Think about it, when you are sleep deprived, lethargic and tired, what are you supposed to do? You will reach out for those excessive doses of coffee overflowing with sugar in hopes of getting caffeine hits and a sugar rush maybe! Alongside, you may reach out for a doughnut, or maybe a waffle stick or a bagel to get your system pumping out of the sleep cycles, find a way to get to work, get through the day, go home and hit the sack, or well with all the coffee submerging your brain in a whirlpool of chitter chatter you may try to sleep, wake up the next morning and repeat! Sounds familiar?

Well that was just the beginning of this vicious cycle! Sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain and a goodnight’s sleep characterized by a substantial amount of time and good quality of sound sleep can lead to weight loss. Here is how:

Hormones At Play

When it comes to sleep and weight loss, there are two hormones that are of most significance. These are leptin and ghrelin. Ghrelin is a hormone produced in the gastrointestinal tract and works as an appetite stimulator, while leptin is produced by the fat cells and plays the role of informing the brain when your appetite has been satisfied. When you are sleep deprived, your leptin levels are driven down increasing the hunger pangs as you don’t feel as satisfied after your meals as you would with normal leptin levels, and the ghrelin levels increase stimulating a bigger appetite, pronouncing into a recipe to disaster! This powerful combo may lead to overeating and overeating will ultimately lead to weight gain!

Slow Metabolic Rate

Research has documented that inadequacy of sleep can be associated with weight gain based on a slow metabolic rate. Sleep and weight loss have a connection here when sleep deprivation drives down the body’s ability to metabolize carbohydrates and leads to high glucose levels, causing shot up insulin levels and increased fat storage in the body. The relationship here is rather straightforward. Sleep and weight loss are connected quite directly as this research suggests that if you sleep adequately, that is get your 7 hours of sound uninterrupted sleep your body is less likely to stimulate fat storage and hence promote weight loss.

Protein Disruption

Another very valid connection between sleep and weight loss, as per research, has been established by the disruption in growth hormones caused by lack of sleep. Inadequate sleep leads to a reduction the levels of growth hormones, which happens to be a protein, that facilitates and regulates the body’s proportions of muscle and fat. If these levels are disrupted, the balance between the fat and muscle composition is interfered leading to an increase in the levels of fat or muscle, adding to weight gain.

Conclusion

Sleep and weight loss are closely related. Losing weight while sleeping is something, given our hectic schedules, what probably fairly tales are made of! However this does not mean you ditch the rest of your life and just spend your days cuddled up under a blanket with the TV on. Getting adequate levels of sleep, which translate into 7 hours for most of us, is essential to maintain health. Inadequate sleep has also been associated with an increase in risk of diabetes, heart diseases and blood pressure. So make sure you give significance to your Zzzz’s to maintain that waistline you’ve got going for you!