Does sleep affect your weight loss goals? Yes. Sleep is the most underrated powerhouse for losing weight. Our culture of burning the candle at both ends diminishes your efforts toward a healthy body.
There’s solid scientific research to prove it. A medical report published in Ann Internal Med, cited several hormones play a major role in weight loss (1). If you aren’t getting enough sleep, your hormones don’t function the way they should. The result? Stalled weight loss and even weight gain.
Lack of Sleep Makes You Eat More
Sticking to your meal plan for weight loss is about willpower, right? Wrong. Lack of sleep affects our food choices. Most people need between 7-9 hours of sleep. Getting less sleep affects hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin.
Leptin is produced by your fat cells. If you don’t sleep enough, it sends signals to your body creating an empty feeling in your stomach. If your stomach feels empty it’s hard to focus, work out or do anything. Eventually, willpower breaks down and you’re eating beyond your meal plan.
The hormone ghrelin plays a few different roles in hunger and fat storage. Without enough sleep, your body produces more ghrelin. Ghrelin stimulates hunger and slows down the body’s ability to burn fat. Now that pesky metabolism slows down. Even if you’re doing the right things to increase metabolism, without sleep, your hormones work against you. (2)
Sleep Prevents Insulin Resistance
Insulin takes sugar from your bloodstream and moves it into your cells for energy. This is crucial to preventing Type 2 diabetes and weight loss. Getting enough sleep increases insulin sensitivity, the body’s ability to use insulin.
With a few nights of less sleep, blood sugar levels increase. This shows us insulin isn’t moved into cells for energy but builds up in the bloodstream. Chronic poor sleep compounds this. Potentially leading to a decreased metabolism, increased fat storage, and type 2 diabetes.
Less Sleep = Less Muscle
Working out and building muscle is part of building a healthy body. But losing sleep over it takes all your hard work and tosses it out the window. Why? Poor sleep slows down your growth hormone. The key to anti-aging and muscle repair post-workout.
Protein synthesis is the body’s ability to create muscle. Without adequate sleep, this doesn’t happen. Combined with increased cortisol (a stress hormone that increases without sleep) leads to increased fat stores and lower muscle. Get the most out of your hard work in the gym and go to bed!
You Make Better Choices When You Sleep
We’ve all felt it. That moment your alarm goes off and you need another hour. Groggy, relying on caffeine, you make it through the day. A sleepy mind and body reach for sugary, carb-loaded foods to make up for the tiredness.
Then there’s the morning you bounce out of bed wondering if you need coffee at all. Your mind is alert, you feel empowered and your choices show it. It’s much easier to make healthy food choices when you’re well-rested.
We can adapt better sleep habits. Shutting off devices, creating an evening routine, and using weighted blankets help. If chronic sleep loss is a concern, speak to your doctor about things you can do. Your body and waistline will thank you.
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