Have you ever felt like you could eat something sweet or fatty on a day when you didn't get enough sleep? At the same time, do you feel very tired all day long and don't feel like doing anything? This is not unique to you. There is a bigger connection between lack of sleep and weight gain than you might think. Today, let's talk about how this happens.
How your sleepy brain tricks you
When you don't get enough sleep, it directly affects your brain. Simply put, a sleep-deprived brain is like a drunk. Let's see what happens.
We have a part of our brain called the ``Frontal Lobe''. This is where we do important things like making good decisions and controlling our impulses . When we don't get enough sleep, the activity in this part of the brain becomes dim, like dimming the lights. So your ability to make good decisions decreases.
Imagine, on a day when you've slept well, you can stop yourself from eating a piece of cake and say, "Enough." But on a day when you've had enough sleep, your brain has a hard time saying "no." Instead, your brain's reward centers kick in and start looking for something that feels good. So you reach for that second piece of cake, or that greasy roll, without even realizing it.
This has been proven by research. One study found that people who get less sleep are more likely to snack late at night. They also found that they are more likely to choose foods that are high in carbohydrates. Another study showed that people who don't get enough sleep are twice as likely to choose foods that are high in fat than people who get at least 8 hours of sleep.
Simply put, when you don't get enough sleep, your brain craves junk food and loses the ability to say 'no'.
Sleep is the body's metabolism.
Sleep is like food for the brain. An adult needs an average of 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night . If you sleep less than that, your body will respond by putting on weight. Here's how it works.
Increased stress hormone
When you don't get enough sleep, your body starts producing more of the stress hormone cortisol . This hormone sends a signal to your body, "You need to stay awake now, so conserve energy." That means your body stops burning fat and starts storing it.
In one study, a group of people who consumed the same amount of calories and were given reduced sleep for two weeks lost 55% of their body fat. They also felt hungry more often, didn't feel full after eating, and had significantly less energy.
What happens to insulin?
According to researchers at the University of Chicago, lack of sleep can make your body "metabolically groggy." After just four days of sleep deprivation, your body can't properly use a hormone called insulin . Insulin is a hormone that is essential for turning the sugar and starches in the food we eat into energy.
According to researchers, when sleep is not enough, the body's insulin sensitivity decreases by more than 30%.
Why is this bad? When your body doesn't respond properly to insulin, it can't properly control the amount of fat in your blood. As a result, that fat starts to accumulate in your body instead of being burned.
That means that rather than losing weight just because you sleep, lack of sleep actually disrupts your metabolism and contributes to weight gain .
A few simple tips for getting a good night's sleep
With today's busy lives, getting to bed on time can be a challenge. The computer, the TV, and the phone are trying to keep us awake until late at night. But if you follow these simple habits, you can see a big difference.
See the table below for these tips and why they are important.
| What to do (advice) | Why is it important? |
|---|---|
| Stay away from screens: Stop using the TV, computer, and phone at least an hour before bed. | The blue light emitted from screens inhibits the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. |
| Reserve the bedroom for sleep: Limit the bedroom to sleep and sexual activity only. Don't go there to work or eat. | Your brain learns to recognize the bedroom as a place to relax. |
| Create a bedtime routine:Do something relaxing like taking a hot bath, meditating, or reading a book. Don't use this time to talk about big issues. | This sends a signal to your body and mind that "it's time to sleep." |
| Get used to a set time: Get into the habit of waking up and going to bed at the same time every day, even on weekends. | This can help keep your body clock in order. |
| Be careful about what you eat and drink: Avoid heavy meals and alcohol at night. Stop drinking coffee, tea, chocolate, and cola after 2 p.m. | Heavy meals can cause heartburn. Caffeine can stay in the body for 5-6 hours, which can disrupt sleep. |
| Darken the room: Sleep in a dark, quiet place. | Darkness naturally produces the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, and light stops its production. |
It may take some time to get used to these things. But don't forget that sleep is as essential to your health and weight management as diet and exercise. If you continue to have sleep problems despite following these tips, it's best to talk to your doctor about it. There may be another medical reason for it.
Take-Home Message
- Lack of sleep reduces your brain's ability to make decisions, which can make you more likely to make unhealthy food choices.
- Not getting enough sleep increases the body's stress hormone cortisol , which increases fat storage.
- Lack of sleep can cause weight gain because it interferes with the function of the hormone insulin .
- An adult needs at least 7-9 hours of sound sleep per day.
- Simple habits like turning off your phone/TV an hour before bed, going to bed and waking up at a set time can improve the quality of your sleep.
- Sleep is as important a component of weight management as diet and exercise.
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