Can Restful Slumber Play a Role in Weight Reduction?

Can Restful Slumber Play a Role in Weight Reduction?

Struggling to shed those pounds despite dieting and exercising? You might want to take a closer look at your sleep habits. You see, besides eating healthily and being active, getting good sleep plays a major role in weight loss effectiveness.

Nearly a third of adults worldwide aren't getting enough shut-eye each day [1]. This lack of rest can lead to weight gain for several reasons. Here's the lowdown on how sleep affects your weight loss journey.

The connection between sleep and shedding pounds

Sleeping well is key to maintaining good physical, mental, and emotional health. Lacking sleep, also known as sleep deprivation, can negatively impact your ability to lose weight, not just because it leaves you sluggish but also due to hormonal changes.

When you're not catching enough Z's, your body produces more ghrelin, a hormone that signals hunger. This means you'll feel hungrier and consume more food to cope with the tiredness and stress caused by sleep loss [2]. This undermines all your efforts to reduce weight. It's generally recommended to get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep for general well-being.

How sleep deprivation affects your weight loss journey

Sleeping poorly can hamper your weight loss in various ways, as backed by sleep research [3]:

1. More cravings: When you're sleep-deprived, it becomes harder to resist unhealthy food cravings. Your brain lacks impulse control, making you more likely to go for high-carb snacks and foods with a higher fat content.
2. Slower metabolism: Not getting enough sleep can affect your metabolism and cause weight gain. Sleep deprivation triggers a cortisol spike, leading to energy conservation and fat retention. In fact, lacking sleep can reduce fat loss by as much as 55% [4].
3. Reduced insulin sensitivity: Sleep deprivation can reduce your body's ability to take glucose (blood sugar) out of the blood and into the cells for energy. This makes it harder to control blood sugar levels and can make weight loss more difficult [5].
4. Disrupted eating behaviors: Chronic sleep loss can mess with the balance of appetite-regulating hormones, leading to disrupted eating patterns. This makes it harder to control your appetite and make healthy food choices.

The impact of sleep disorders on weight management

Sleep disorders can significantly mess with your efforts to lose weight by disrupting the body's natural metabolic processes and hormonal balance.

For instance, common sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome can contribute to reduced sleep duration and alter the levels of the appetite-regulating hormone and metabolism [2].

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder where your breathing stops during sleep. This frequent waking and poor sleep quality can cause changes in hormone levels, leading to increased hunger and cravings. This imbalance often leads to weight gain [6], [7].

The benefits of quality sleep for losing weight

Quality sleep can be a game-changer if you're looking to shed some pounds in the following ways:

Reduces calorie intake

Getting a decent night's sleep can help you eat less. In a clinical sleep study, participants who got at least 8.5 hours of sleep per night on average consumed 270 fewer calories per day [8]. This study suggests that a good sleep schedule can aid appetite regulation and support weight loss efforts.

Reduces stress levels

Stress and sleep are closely connected. High stress levels can cause sleep problems, and poor sleep can increase stress hormones. In a survey by the American Psychological Association, 43% of American adults reported that stress increased when they experienced inadequate sleep [9].

Elevated stress hormones can lead to unhealthy eating habits and weight gain, potentially contributing to obesity. Better sleep, on the other hand, can reduce stress, improve mood, and help you handle stressful situations more effectively, supporting healthier weight management [10].

Boosts metabolism

Quality sleep is essential for maintaining a healthy metabolism, which is vital for effective weight management. During deep sleep, your body works to repair and regenerate tissues, build muscle, and regulate metabolic processes [11]. When you don't get enough sleep, your body's circadian rhythm gets thrown off, causing an imbalance in metabolism and overall energy. This imbalance makes it harder to lose weight and increases the risk of weight gain [11]. Aiming for quality sleep helps support your body's metabolic processes, making it easier to burn calories, build lean muscle, and maintain a healthy weight.

4 tips for better sleep and weight loss results

Want to improve your sleep for better weight loss outcomes? Here are four strategies to consider:

1. Keep a consistent sleep schedule: Set a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, including weekends. This helps regulate your body's sleep-wake cycle, improving your chances of long-term weight loss success.
2. Don't sleep right after eating: Avoid eating just before you're about to sleep, as your body might not be able to burn the calories efficiently while you're asleep.
3. Consider eating sleep-inducing foods: If you have trouble falling asleep, try consuming foods rich in melatonin, such as cherries, almonds, or tart cherry juice. This increased melatonin can help regulate your body's sleep-wake cycle.
4. Create a sleep-friendly environment: Make sure your sleep environment is comfortable. Keep it cool, dark, and quiet. Consider using white noise or essential oils to help you sleep better.

In conclusion, sleep is crucial for weight loss success, as it affects various physiological and psychological factors. Insufficient sleep can lead to hormonal imbalances, remained cravings, and slowed metabolism, making it harder to lose weight. By getting quality sleep, you can optimize your weight loss efforts. To learn more about how the ShutEye® app can help you get better sleep and support your weight loss journey, sign up today!

[1] American Psychological Association. (2017, November 2). Stress in America 2017: Alarming Signs Among American Adolescents: Key Findings. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2017/stress-american-adolescents[2] Veiga, A. A., & Schorr, C. H. (2013). Sleep apnea and obesity. Frontiers in endocrinology, 4, 79. doi:10.3389/fendo.2013.00079[3] Neufeld, J. T., & Leproult, R. (2003). Sleep and the hormonal regulation of appetite. New England Journal of Medicine, 348(17), 1547–1550. doi:10.1056/nejmra023409[4] Spencer, N. L., Alhola, P., & Polo-Kantola, P. (2008). Impact of sleep deprivation on hormones related to stress, metabolism, and appetite. Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care, 11(5), 542-545. doi:10.1097/MCO.0b013e328305cd1f[5] Libsch, F., & Bloch, C. (2019). The role of sleep on the control of food intake, body weight, and adiposity. Nutrients, 11(6), 1326. doi:10.3390/nu11061326[6] Espana, M. L., Gomez-Aracena, N., Quiles, B., & Arcasoy, J. (2011). Sleep–related breathing disorders and weight changes according to treatment failure: a retrospective observational study. Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 7(05), 447-453. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3138094/[7] Iliffe, S., Pierson, R. N., & Halson, S. L. (2014). The association between sleep and weight change in night workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of double-blind, randomized controlled trials and longitudinal studies. Annals of work exposures and health, 60(8), 559-577. doi: 10.1093/annweh/wqu085[8] Patel, N. K., Hu, F. B., Malhotra, A., & White, D. P. (2006). Short sleep duration is associated with weight gain in women. American journal of epidemiology, 163(9), 896-904. doi:10.1093/aje/kwj047[9] American Psychological Association. (2017, November 2). Stress in America 2017: Alarming Signs Among American Adolescents: Key Findings. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2017/stress-american-adolescents[10] Choi, H. M., Lin, J. M., & van Cauter, E. (2016). Bidirectional relationships between sleep and stress physiology: Evidence from human experimental and longitudinal studies. Sleep medicine reviews, 24, 14–28. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2015.06.007[11] Tasali, E., Fernandez-Mendoza, J., Mohsenin, V., Li, G., & Lucki, I. (2008). Acute sleep deprivation: effects on metabolic and endocrine responses to glucose in normal young men. Sleep, 31(2), 237-242. doi:10.1093/sleep/31.2.237

1. get good sleep is crucial for weight loss success as it affects various physiological and psychological factors, such as hormone levels, food cravings, and metabolism.
2. Lack of sleep, or sleep deprivation, can cause ghrelin, a hormone that signals hunger, to increase, making individuals feel hungrier and consume more food.
3. Sleep deprivation can also lead to slowed metabolism, reducing fat loss by as much as 55%, and decreased insulin sensitivity, making it harder to control blood sugar levels and manage weight.
4. Common sleep disorders like insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome can contribute to weight gain by disrupting the body's natural metabolic processes and hormonal balance.

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