Lack of Sleep and Weight Gain

One of the contributing factors to weight gain is the lack of sleep since it disrupts the body from releasing certain hormones, such as the leptin and ghrelin, which play an important role in metabolism.

According to experts, leptin and ghrelin are hormones that control the appetite of people.

And if there is a lack of sleep, the level of their leptin, which tells the body if it is full or not, goes down to the point that they have to overeat just to feel that they are satisfied with their food intake.

Meanwhile, a lack of sleep causes the ghrelin levels to spike up which will then stimulate a person’s appetite especially the cravings for foods which are high in fats and carbohydrates.

And because sleep-deprived individuals feel tired, the last thing on their mind is to do exercise and sports for burning calories.

Aside from a disrupted sleep, changing the normal sleeping pattern (sleeping at night and awake during daytime) has also been found to result in weight gain. This is because the body automatically slows down its metabolism during the night when people are supposed to be sleeping.

And since the circadian rhythm, which is the body’s biological clock, has been disrupted, the graveyard shift workers have higher risk of obesity. According to a recent survey, people who are working in nontraditional hours for a year may gain 20 to 30 pounds even if they have not changed their eating habits.

Ways to Have a Good Night Sleep

One of the best ways to have a normal sleeping pattern is to follow the circadian rhythm of the body. This means that people should go to bed at 10 pm and try to fall asleep by 10:30 pm. Ideally, the bedroom should be dark since the body might interpret that it is still daytime if the lights are on.

Most experts believe that doing an exercise can promote a normal sleeping pattern since it encourages the body to release a hormone called endorphin which plays an important role in sleep. Also, people should try to avoid caffeine later in the day since the chemical has been known to affect the sleep.

Eating a light meal before going to bed may also promote a restful night’s sleep.  However, eating large servings and a high-fat meal before bedtime may cause frequent waking since the digestive system is forced to work even if a person is already sleeping.

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Filed under: Weight Loss Tips

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