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Sleep and Weight Control

Hemera Technologies / AbleStock.com / thinkstock.com

Hemera Technologies / AbleStock.com / thinkstock.com

It’s commonly misunderstood that weight loss and weight maintenance are only controlled through diet and exercise. Unfortunately, there’s more to weight loss than what’s put into the mouth, and that includes obtaining healthy, good sleep. If you are unaware on how sleep affects weight control, get ready to snuggle between the sheets for a night of nice, healthy sleep.

Hormonal Changes
Leptin and Ghrelin are two hormones that simply put are the body’s “checks and balances” and signal the brain when the body is full from eating. Ghrelin is produced in the GI tract, and stimulates appetite where leptin, produced in fat cells, signals the brain when the body is full. When the body is sleep deprived, it decreases leptin and increases ghrelin. Thus, the body does not “feel” full after eating and the appetite is stimulated, craving more food. It’s a vicious cycle, but another reason why humans need sleep.

Food Cravings
Thanks to the body’s hormonal shift, when we have a lack of sleep, our willpower starts to decrease, especially for those who work overnight. The body is programmed to sleep during the night, and when the body is awake long-term, for work or leisure, the body tends to crave salty, sweet and fatty foods. Since the body has a challenging time to sleep during daylight because of the circadian rhythm, the body is generally awake longer, thus increasing appetite and cravings when eating during off hours.

Energy & Fatigue
When the body gets sleep, energy increases. This motivates the body to exercise and eat healthy. Highly overweight and obese individuals are generally linked to poor sleep quality, which in turn affects weight.

Sleep Disorders and Hormones
Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea often affect obese individuals. However, these individuals showcase abnormally high levels of leptin; however, when the sleep apnea is treated, the leptin decreases, and loses weight.

Decrease in Body Temperature
One way the body burns calories is through expending heat, even when at rest, the body burns calories to breath, think, eat and digest. Laboratory experiments showed that individuals who sleep are sleep deprived burn less energy throughout the day, due to a lower body temperature.

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