Sleep and Metabolism | Does Lack of Sleep Really Affect Weight?

11 Oct Sleep and Metabolism | Does Lack of Sleep Really Affect Weight?

Think! You could lose weight just by doing something as simple as sleeping.

Research reveals sleep may benefit your metabolic processes. 

As a result, you may experience a positive shift in weight loss. In contrast, lack of sleep evidently contributes to obesity and weight gain.

According to evidence, sleep commonly gets affected by your lifestyle, diet, and stress levels too, all of which are also associated with poor metabolism and weight gain.

This cements the relationship between sleep and weight loss with some solid proof.

Thus, this blog is an attempt to understand the background on how does bad sleep affects your metabolism.

How Does Sleep Affect Your Metabolism?

To understand how sleep affects metabolism, you need to understand the two different functions of the body separately.

Afterward, observe how these processes are linked to each other.

Let’s begin with the different aspects involved in sleep.

#1. Sleep and Brain

Improper sleep impairs normal brain functions. It decimates the normal activity of the brain, specifically of the frontal lobe, the center of decision making and impulse control. 

In other words, it will make you feel a little high. No one has a clear understanding of these actions after boozing.

Moreover, exhaustion retards the brain’s activity. The control on your diet gets zero. 

Your food cravings increase and you end up having a high-calorie diet. In other words, sleep deprivation increases your calorie intake resulting in overeating and obesity.

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, sleep deprivation results in increased late-night snacking. Ultimately, it results in weight gain.

Another study states less sleep prompts people to increase food portions. It, eventually, results in an unprecedented gain in weight.

Overall, a sleepy brain triggers a craving for junk food with no control over eating impulses. More studies can strongly assert the effectiveness of this process.

#2. Sleep and Fat Storage

Sleep acts as nutrition not only for your body but for your brain as well. It is the prominent form of rest helping you recover from exhaustion while fine-tuning different body processes. 

Also, it relaxes your brain to improve cognitive processes.

This results in improved impulse control and less sensation of cravings contributing to better weight management. 

Moreover, less sleep promotes cortisol, which boosts fat storage and obesity. In contrast, adequate sleep helps fight off the issue and improves fuel and fat transfusion.

Studies on Sleep, Metabolism, and Hormones

Various studies have investigated the relationship between sleep and metabolism. In the section, you will discover the fundamental aspects involved in providing such beneficial effects.

Another study investigated the impact of sleep disorders and sleep loss on metabolism. The findings showed how sleep deprivation alters glucose metabolism and the hormone responsible for proper metabolic functions. This is the result of reduced leptin levels and augmented ghrelin levels.

Also, loss of sleep or inadequate rest can spike your cortisol level. The stress hormone signals your brain to reserve energy for your waking hours. Your diet increases rapidly leading to involuntary weight gain.

Furthermore, the growing interest in the relationship between sleep and metabolism isn’t in vain. 

Indeed, the figurative studies clearly demonstrate how your sleep duration impacts different body processes, specifically your body weight.

While helping to maintain your shape, it can un-shape you as well. This makes it even more important to be concerned about your sleep cycle. 

Summing up, here are the top three ways through which sleep affects metabolism along with the ways with which you can prevent negative effects.

Bad Sleep Affects Your Metabolism in These Three Ways

Most of the flourished career comes at the cost of sleep. Indeed, the sleep-sacrifice has become a part of the culture. 

Overtime, late-night work, midnight snacking, and night outings are contributing to these vicious sleep-related issues.

Already mentioned studies have shown how sleep-deprived folks tend to prefer larger food portions. This increased calorie intake leads to food-related impulsivity and exhaustion.

According to experts, sleeping affects your metabolism in three different ways. Understanding these processes can help to get more weight loss benefits.

1. Firstly, sleep deprivation slows down the metabolic process of reserved food.

Tip: Begin by increasing your sleep timing.

2. Secondly, the more aggravated sleep deprivation is, the more your internal sympathetic nervous system remains active.

The additional alert sensation contributes to more sleeplessness requiring midnight snacking. Again, it triggers your cortisol level, a major factor behind unprecedented weight gain. 

Tip: Try to shorten the extent of sleeplessness each day to minimize the effect.

3. Thirdly, even a slight duration of sleep deprivation has a great negative impact. A study showed a 20% boost in ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and a 15% reduction in leptin (appetite-suppressing hormone).

To put it simply, hormones change due to sleep deprivation resulting in food cravings. This may again support weight gain. 

Tip: Try to cut down activities from your schedule contributing to the mini-sleep deprivation triggers.

Just by having sufficient sleep, fighting these factors becomes easier. Ultimately, this multiplies the metabolic process causing greater weight loss. Moreover, the above three tips can take you steps ahead in terms of weight management.

As sleep affects metabolism, it, of course, also affects weight loss…

Chronic Sleep Deprivation and Weight Gain: What’s the Link?

Whether it’s about weight management or maintaining general health, we look down upon sleep.

Modern-day lifestyle has made us prone to poor sleep habits. Ultimately, it results in sleep deprivation, which further translates into weight gain.

Other underlying factors are also involved. Here are some of the things to consider:

Metabolic Syndrome

A study closely examined 130,000 adult participants for sleep and metabolism collective health. 

The findings disclosed sleeping less than 6 or more than 10 hours per night elevated the risk of metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is synonymous with issues of obesity as it affects metabolic functions including low HDL, hypertension, weight gain, and high glucose level. All these factors are connected to higher obesity risk.

The research found almost 30% of men having the syndrome and around 24% of women having metabolic issues.

Symptoms of Metabolism Related Issues

The human body is sophisticated yet impressive. For every health condition, certain symptoms make examination easier. 

This is valid in terms of metabolism issues too through the following signs:

• Changes in food digestion
• Excessive exhaustion
• Changes in weight
• Mood swings
• Increased irritability
• Less than 7 to 9 hours’ sleep duration

Here, pay attention to any change brought out as a result of lifestyle modification. This can directly impact your sleep cycle and metabolism.

 ALSO READ: Study Links Poor Sleep Habits to a Higher Risk of Dementia 

Treating Sleep Problems

A uniform sleep pattern helps maintain overall health and wellness. It is important for your physical, mental, and emotional health and wellbeing equally.

Make sure your sleep duration remains consistent for weeks and months. This ensures greater health with which comes greater happiness.

In general, people remain at surface level finding an answer to how to lose weight when sleep-deprived. 

However, the reasons for adequate sleep lie deep within. Self-discipline and self-care, especially when it comes to sleep, are necessary in this world to survive and thrive.

But the struggle to get sufficient and quality sleep is evident. Thus, we’ve shared a few tips helpful in your journey to obtain a healthier way of living.  

8 Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep

In the world of screens, snoozing is challenging, especially when quality and duration is the main concern. 

Still, keeping a few things in mind can lure you into bed for a little longer.

Here, read the key tips effective in improving sleep duration…

1. When it’s evening, make some changes

Turn on nightshade mode on your phone. Reduce use of blue light devices post evening. It may impact the sleep hormones of your body.

2. Shut down electronic devices before you hit the sack

You should shut off all your devices an hour before hitting the bed. Keep your phone and laptops in other rooms to avoid distractions. You begin with timing as little as 10 to 15 minutes, gradually increasing the duration.

3. Clean bedroom clutter

A neat bedroom plays a key role in proper sleep. A clean and clutter-free room creates a sense of mental clarity relaxing your head. Indeed, this sensation or feeling benefits your sleep.

4. Avoid eating near bedtime

This is essential for quality sleep. Having food just before bed engages your body in the digestion process resulting in heartburn, night sweats, and blood sugar dysregulation. It may affect your sleep cycle as well.

Thus, stop having meals at least two to three hours before bedtime to provide your body with enough window for digestive processes.

5. A hot shower, particularly before hitting the bed, is beneficial

The hot temperature lowers your body temperature, stimulating a sensation of relaxation. This is positive for a good night’s sleep.

6. A bedtime ritual is necessary

It isn’t a big challenge at hand requiring huge pre-planning. Just begin with a warm bath, meditation, or reading a book.

7. Stick to a schedule

Wake up and go to bed at the same time daily. This applies on weekends too. It is effective in developing an ideal sleep duration.

8. Turn off the lights before it’s time for bed

Darkness makes your body secrete the natural sleep hormone, melatonin, whereas light represses it.

These tips, to a great extent, improve your sleep quality and duration. Fighting off nighttime sleep deprivation contributes to greater health and metabolic rate.

Now, let’s clear some common doubts regarding the sleep and metabolism relationship.

FAQs on Sleep, Metabolism, and Weight Loss

While some believe inadequate sleep triggers weight gain, others incline toward excessive sleep contributing to the same. 

Also, there are other doubts about sleep deprivation. Let’s take them one by one…

Q1: Does sleeping too much cause weight gain?

Sleep deprivation is a major factor behind unprecedented weight gain as a result of hormone imbalance and high cortisol levels. 

In contrast, certain studies indicated that excessive sleep can have a similar effect. 

According to research, sleeping less than 6 hours or more than 10 hours triggers weight gain.

Q2: How much does your sleep affect your metabolism?

The real figures state metabolism is 15% slowest during sleep specifically in the morning. 

Various studies have shown how sleep deprivation causes metabolic dysregulation. It is evident in sleep-related issues like insomnia, untreated sleep apnea, or other sleep disorders.

Q3: What’s the best time to sleep to lose weight?

One shoe doesn’t fit everyone. This is valid in respect of the ideal sleep time people are looking for. 

Indeed, there’s a significant window good for getting quality sleep which indirectly contributes to weight loss. 

With all that in mind, the best time to sleep to lose weight has been shown to be between 8 in the evening to 6 in the morning.

With this, our evaluation of how does sleep affects metabolism comes to an end. Lastly, catch up on a recap of the whole discussion.

The Takeaway

With the modern-day lifestyle gripping its clutches on you and your wellbeing, your sleep and weight are bound to suffer. 

Hours of digital scrolling and binge-watching directly deteriorate your sleeping pattern, quality, and duration.

It also triggers different sleep-related issues including sleep apnea, insomnia, sleep induction, or other sleep disorders. 

Moreover, the sleep and weight loss research findings we discussed above have so long established the link between sleep loss and weight gain. 

As per evidence, sleep deprivation causes hormonal imbalance, slowing down the metabolic process.

Also, it makes you lose control of your appetite resulting in a big jump in calorie intake. In the long run, it can contribute to some major health issues.

Thus, it becomes crucial to take care of your sleep in the first place. You can employ the above-shared tips to bring a positive shift in your sleep cycle, pattern, and quality.

If you enjoyed the blog, don’t forget to share it with your friends and family and encourage them to address sleep-related issues in time.