Sleep and weight loss – how are they related?

Health is indeed the most precious wealth anybody can possess and aspire to attain. However,every creature is bound to suffer from some health issue or another in this imperfect world. Still one would be much better served pursuing health over wealth. After all, what good is it to amass money if you’re not going to be around to use it? One of the common problems that people of all age, region, and cultural backgrounds suffer from is excessive body weight and its many consequences. Most of us have a notion that eating habits are responsible for this. It’s pretty much common knowledge that the way you eat is going to determine how much weight you have on your body. It’s more complex than that, though. Science has shown that in addition to eating habits, other lifestyle factors play a big role in maintaining adequate body weight. And you might be surprised to learn that sleep is one of the more influential  factors.

So how does sleep affect weight loss? I’m about to explain, so be sure to pay attention.

On an average it’s believed that 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep is sufficient to ensure a healthy body and alert mind. However not all days permit for this luxury and it’s easy to get sucked into the hustle of life and get accustomed to less and less sleep with more stress and anxiety. Before we move ahead, below are some sleep related disorders that can wreak havoc on your lifestyle:

1.    An irregular sleep schedule
2.    Feelings of laziness throughout the day
3.    Being unproductive at work
4.    Difficulty in anger management
5.    Hair loss, premature aging and related issues

In addition to all the above issues, it is also known that those who sleep less crave to eat more unhealthy foods like sweets, ice creams, chocolate and other junk foods which are high on calories, refined fats and a host of other unhealthy ingredients. And if the person does not indulge in any physical activity, this situation can get out of hand fast!
On the other hand, a person who sleeps regularly for at least 7 hours is known to be more active, enthusiastic, cheerful and well disciplined. This is because of the fact that the brain gets enough time to rest therefore there is less stressed and is better able to manage anxiety in general. Also people who sleep well are known to be much more emotionally stable compared to those who under sleep.

The more scientific explanation of how sleep impacts weight loss depends upon two hormones – ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin triggers satiation while leptin triggers appetite and hunger. If the body receives enough sleep, it means the Ghrelin is released in sufficient quantities to make the body feel full when an adequate, but not extreme, amount of food is consumed. Insufficient rest, however, inhibits the production of ghrelin, while also increasing the production of leptin. This means that you won’t feel full like you should and you’ll feel hungrier than you should. See how this can be a disastrous combination?

Losing body fat is hard enough. Compromising your results because of a lack of sleep does nothing but exacerbate an already challenging proposition. Consider 7 hours of sleep a requirement. If you’re concerned about your health it simply cannot be optional.

 

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