Sleep plays an important role in maintaining health and weight control. The quality and quantity of sleep affects hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism, which in turn affect weight loss.
When you don't get enough sleep, your levels of leptin - a hormone that reduces appetite - decrease, while ghrelin - a hormone that stimulates appetite - increases. People who sleep less than 6 hours per night have higher levels of ghrelin and lower levels of leptin, leading to increased hunger and difficulty controlling cravings.
Not getting enough sleep also affects your metabolism. A study from the University of Chicago found that people who slept four hours a night for two weeks had higher insulin levels and were less able to metabolize glucose than those who slept eight hours. This can lead to weight gain and an increased risk of diabetes.
Not getting enough deep sleep can decrease your ability to burn calories and increase your ability to store fat. Experts recommend 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night to aid in weight loss.
Lifestyle habits also greatly affect sleep quality. Limiting exposure to blue light from phone and computer screens before going to bed helps improve sleep. Furthermore, meditating or doing yoga before going to bed can also help improve sleep.
To lose weight effectively, in addition to diet and exercise, optimizing sleep is also an important factor that cannot be ignored. The best way to sleep to support the weight loss process is to maintain healthy, adequate sleep habits. Paying attention to sleep is a long-term strategy to help maintain an ideal weight.
