Why Sleep is Important to a Weight Loss Plan
Getting eight hours of sleep is an old bit of advice that we’ve all heard a million times. It turns out that waking up feeling refreshed is only one of the reasons why sleep is important. Getting a good night’s rest may actually have implications for weight loss plans, according to many doctors. In addition to diet and exercise, getting the appropriate amount of sleep every night will ensure that your body’s hormonal activity stays in optimal fat-burning mode.
Why Sleep is Important to Hormonal Balance and Appetite
More doctors and scientists are beginning to realize the negative effects that sleep deprivation can have on a weight loss plan. “One of the more interesting ideas that has been smoldering and is now gaining momentum is the appreciation of the fact that sleep and sleep disruption do remarkable things to the body — including possibly influencing our weight,” says Dr. David Rapport, M.D., an associate professor and director of the Sleep Medicine Program at New York University School of Medicine.
Not getting enough sleep can affect your levels of leptin and ghrelin, both hormones associated with appetite and hunger: leptin signals your brain that you’re full, while ghrelin triggers feeilngs of hunger. “When you don’t get enough sleep, it drives leptin levels down, which means you don’t feel as satisfied after you eat,” says Michael Breus, Ph.D., with the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine. “Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food,” continues Breus. In other words, not only will a poor night of rest make you feel hungrier throughout the day, it will also cause you to feel less satisfied when you do eat.
Why Sleep is Important: Applying it to Your Weight Loss Plans
It’s obvious that lack of sleep can be disastrous to a weight loss plan. After all, thhe last thing you need is increased cravings and less satiety when you’re already cutting calories and expending lots of energy in exercise such as cardio. Getting a few hours of extra sleep a week may be the tipping point that helps push you over a weight loss plateau by helping you feel fuller with the foods that you eat. If you’re getting six or less hours of sleep a night, you should definitely consider getting more sleep, as you may be sabotaging your weight loss program.
“One thing I have seen is that once a person is not as tired, they don’t need to rely on sweet foods and high carbohydrate snacks to keep them awake — and that automatically translates into eating fewer calories,” says Dr. Breus. Not only will getting more sleep make you feel more energized and help you make healthy choices, but your cravings for unhealthy, high-carb foods will be reduced.
Listen to your parents — getting eight hours of sleep every night isn’t just an old wive’s tale. We all need sleep to allow our minds and bodies time to recuperate and repair, and by depriving yourself of sleep, you could be holding yourself back from success in your weight loss plans.
There are no comments yet, add one below.