Published on September 12, 2024
(c) NicoletaIonescu Fotosearch_k94768916
Are you losing sleep and gaining weight?⠀People who don’t get enough sleep (7 at least, 8 or 9 is better) are more likely to be hungry because the body needs more energy to stay awake. And not only do sleepy eaters tend to consume more than enough to compensate, which leads to weight gain, but a sleepy brain responds more strongly to junk food and has less ability to rein that impulse in.⠀The main cause behind lack of sleep and weight gain is not being sleep deprived itself, but the product of what happens to your metabolism when you are not getting enough sleep. Inadequate amounts of sleep affect the part of your brain that controls your appetite and pleasure eating.⠀Too little sleep:⠀⠀✅ Decreases levels of the hormone Leptin, which signals the brain that you are full.⠀✅ Increases levels of the hormone Ghrelin, which stimulates your hunger while also slowing the rate at which calories are burned and increasing the amount of fat you store.⠀⠀This means you will feel more of an urge to eat and less satisfied when you do. In other words, you need to control Leptin and Ghrelin to successfully lose weight, but sleep deprivation makes that nearly impossible. So, the main cause behind lack of sleep and weight gain is not being sleep deprived itself, but the product of what happens to your metabolism when you are not getting enough sleep.⠀More Ghrelin + Less Leptin = Weight Gain⠀Just as binge-eating after too many hours of starving yourself doesn’t work, going on a sleeping binge is not going to help your body recover from pulling an all-nighter or from consistent lack of sleep. And not getting enough sleep doesn’t just make you tired . . . it also makes you fat.⠀Adequate sleep should be an important part of your weight loss (and maintenance) plan.
