Sleep Deprivation and Obesity: Is There a Link?
Meanwhile, the lack of sleep exhausts our motivation, our will and our decision-making capacities, which means that we are more likely to cancel this class or the pilates skirt just beyond the product section during our grocery store. Studies show that people with loss of sleep eat less fruits and vegetables, which contain nutrients like fibers that are essential to feel full and maintain constant energy levels throughout the day. “When you are deprived of sleep, you are just not in the mentality to make thoughtful and healthy choices. You are too tired to plan, too drained to cook and too overwhelmed to even think clearly, ”explains Chevy Mermelstein, a sleeping coach based in Montreal. “It is then that we are starting to look for easy stuff – packaged and transformed foods, sweet snacks, caffeine or everything that gives a quick boost. Your body is desperate with energy and relief.”
Underlying all this, the complex and hormonal reasons that sleep affects weight management. Insufficient sleep – due to the short duration of sleep, poor quality of sleep, or both – increases the balance of hormones that regulate things such as appetite, metabolism and fat storage. Without enough sleep, your body produces less leptin, known as the satiety hormone. Lower leptin levels mean that you are less likely to feel full after eating and more likely to continue to reach more portions. On the other hand, the lack of sleep is associated with an increase in the Ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Ghrelin’s increased levels have been shown not only to increase people in their global food intake, but also to specifically treat higher calories.
Another hormone that increases when you are in a state of sleep deprivation is the so-called “stress hormone” called cortisol; Higher cortisol levels are linked to an increase in abdominal fat, as well as muscle degradation. They also affect insulin sensitivity, which decreases when you do not sleep enough. In simple terms, lower insulin sensitivity means that your body is less effective in the treatment of carbohydrates, leading to high blood sugar and more energy storage as a body fat. (Not ideal at times when you catch fries directly from the bag to pass an afternoon crisis.) And sorry, poor sleeping, but that’s not all. “Poor sleep also compromises slow wave sleep, which is to which the growth hormone is released,” said DRE Anne Marie Morse, a double pension neurologist and a specialist in sleep medicine and founder of Damm Good Sleep. “This hormone is critical for recovery, metabolism and preservation of muscle mass.”
Another challenge: the specific types of foods that have insufficient sleep make us want can cause sleep disorders the following night. Studies have linked higher consumption of saturated fats and lower fiber consumption with lighter and less restorer sleep and an increase in the supply of sugar and carbohydrates with a higher incidence of sleep disorders. Since weight gain and obesity can have a negative impact on sleep quality, “this cycle of bad sleep and poor food choices can lead to a vicious circle of weight gain and new sleep problems”, explains Dr Ren-Fielding.
The good news: improving your sleep could even slightly have a significant impact on weight loss. The first step to break a sleep loss cycle is to examine your sleep habits and think about the ways you can improve your sleep hygiene (the daily habits that have set us up to rest). Although maintaining a coherent bedtime is important, you go to bed earlier can be the most difficult place to start, because hitting the pillow before you feel asleep can cause an anxious throw and a trick. Instead, look at your wake -up time as the first place to adjust your sleep -sleep cycle. “To regulate your circadian rhythm, get out of bed at the same time every morning, even if you slept badly,” said Jessica Fink, sleep specialist in Austin, TX. “Our circadian rhythm determines the moment of sleep and awakening. Erratic rising times deregulate this rhythm. It is like a jet lag without the holidays.”
