Positive impacts of sleep on your health
There are many factors that impact weight loss: diet, exercise, and even sleep! While the amount of sleep everyone needs can vary, the average amount a healthy adult needs is about 7 to 9 hours every night. Although everyone sleeps, we often don't think about the benefits of sleep and what our body is doing while we sleep. It allows us to rest and feel recharged in the morning. It also helps to support immunity, metabolism, memory, and learning.
Can sleep affect weight loss?
Surprisingly the answer is yes! Sleep can also contribute to weight loss. Getting an adequate amount of sleep every night plays a critical role in losing weight. Poor sleep quality can lead to metabolic issues, weight gain, and an increased risk of obesity. Although there is still debate on the relationship between sleep and BMI, the existing research does demonstrate a congruent relationship between sleep and weight loss.
One hypothesis about this relationship is in regards to how appetite is affected by sleep. Appetite is controlled by neurotransmitters, specifically ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin causes you to feel hungry and leptin makes you feel full. Since the body naturally regulates the levels of neurotransmitters throughout the day, a lack of sleep may interrupt this natural regulation. In a study, men who got 4 hours of sleep had increased levels of ghrelin and decreased levels of leptin in comparison to the men who got 10 hours of sleep. Thus causing them to be hungrier and ultimately eat more. Sleep deprivation can also impact a person's choice of food. Those who are sleep-deprived often prefer more carbohydrate-rich foods which can contribute to weight gain.