In recent years, researchers have linked lack of sleep with weight gain. The mechanism is thought to be a disruption of the hormones that control our appetite and cravings: When you are tired, you eat more. People eat an average of 222 calories more a day when they are sleep deprived. This could mean gaining a pound of fat every two weeks.
There is an appetite hormone called ghrelin, which tells you to eat. It stimulates hunger. When we are sleep deprived, we create more of this “go eat” hormone, so we literally eat more than we normally would.
There is also another appetite hormone called leptin. This one tells you to stop eating when full. But when you are sleep deprived, you create less of this “stop eating” hormone and you crave more junk food. As a result, your body feels that it needs more simple carbohydrates, such as donuts, chocolate, candy, and white bread, because they break down fast for instant energy. Unfortunately, these bad carbs can send your blood sugar too high and then drop it too low, making you even more tired and cranky and wanting to eat more junk food to lift yourself up again.
Sleep & Fat Metabolism
Lack of sleep also disrupts the hormones in our body that control fat metabolism. When you go into a deeper sleep, the brain secretes a large amount of growth hormone. This allows the body to break down fat for fuel. So if you are not getting that deep sleep at night, and you have extra fat on your body, you’re not going to have enough growth hormone secreted at night to break that fat down.
The Growth Hormone Connection
Just by changing your sleep habits and getting at least 7 ½ hours of sleep at night, you can begin to lose weight, stop cravings and burn fat. For example, in one study, seven women did just that, and after 10 weeks, six of the seven women lost an average of 9.8 pounds and lost an average of 4.3 inches from their waists. The seventh woman could only get 7 ½ hours of sleep two or three nights a week because of her job — and she did not lose any weight. However, she still lost a total of 2 ½ inches off her hips, waist and bust.
To get that coveted rest, cut down on evening caffeine and alcohol, and wind down by taking an aromatherapy bath, reading or meditating. Keep your electronics in the living room, so that you can condition your mind to perceive bedroom as a sanctuary for good sleep.
