In the journey to achieve and maintain weight loss, most people focus on diet and exercise while overlooking an equally vital component: sleep. It equally influences a lot of your weight loss progress depending on how many hours of sleep you get each night and the quality of sleep you have.
They are getting increasing proof that demonstrates the posture of sleep in regulating metabolism, hunger, and other elements concerned with health. Disappointingly, it gives the impression that no amount of dieting or exercise can compensate for sleep if it is inadequate.
This blog portrays how sleep influences weight loss and why it is important. It is easy to understand the different ways in which sleep helps in weight loss and essential tips to get the best out of your sleep.
How Sleep Aids in Weight Loss?
An adequate amount of sleep has paramount benefits along with assisting in the attainment of your dream figure.
Sleep is a key regulator of two crucial hormones that control hunger: ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is an endocrine messenger that induces cravings and is also known as the ‘hunger hormone’. While leptin is the hormone that relays the fullness signal to the brain. This hormonal marker increases while the leptin level decreases if a person is denied adequate sleep, meaning that there is poor regulation of food intake. Some of its consequences cause imbalance, which leads to the temptation to overeat and fail to lose weight.
Sleep does impact your metabolism. f you get little sleep frequently, your body cannot maintain and control the level of glucose which leads to insulin resistance. This condition not only predisposes the person but also makes the removal of fat even more challenging. Nutrient metabolism is also decreased when a person is asleep and thus even when not moving, fewer calories are burnt this is why weight loss might be affected. People with less sleep have metabolism issues when compared to ones with a proper sleep cycle.
Lack of sleep further imprisons the individual’s self-control and hampers their judgment. As a result, they make the wrong food choices that contain high sugar content and fats. Also, fatigued people cannot exercise due to exhaustion, hence, consuming fewer calories and even losing little or no weight. People with poor sleep have behavioral issues that further affect their relationships and interpersonal relations.
Lack of sleep leads to an increase in the release of cortisol which is a stress hormone. Cortisol increases your chance of storing fats in the abdominal region which is not healthy. Continual sleep loss only helps to worsen this vicious cycle, making it even harder for those who are dieting to lose weight.
The rise in stress hormones further leads to several health issues leading to chronic diseases for modern individuals with stressful lifestyles. The relationship of stress and sleep is immense on the overall health of individuals.
Tips to Optimize Sleep for Weight Loss
Better sleep for better weight loss is what we should always remember to maintain our circadian rhythm, get to bed, and wake up at the same time daily. Another good option is to go for an environmentally friendly room for sleeping. Make your bedroom as dark and cool as possible; avoid using any type of electronic equipment in the bedroom.
You must reduce caffeine intake and meals containing lots of proteins and fats before bed. The occupations should include activities like meditation or deep breathing to relax before sleeping.
Rundown
Sleep is one of the most overlooked yet significant factors that have to do with weight loss. Promoting hormones that help manage hunger, support metabolic functions, and lowering stress, provides a ground for getting and maintaining one’s desired weight. Saying no to sleep not only slows development but also leads to consequences that are stubbornly unhealthy.
When making your plan of the change of diet to lose weight, ensure you also prioritize sleep just like food and exercise. It is great to go for a natural appetite suppressant along with good sleep for overall enhanced health and lifestyle. A well-rested body is enhanced to be capable of knowing when to eat when to exercise, and when to draw energy to achieve its goal.
