Lack of Sleep = Fat Gain?

/ Lovini.com / By

A good night sleep is one of the keys to good health! But did you know sleep deprivation is also a major contributor to weight gain or even obesity 🤯? Continue reading to see how sleep and weight gain are associated!

Lack of Sleep causes Increase in Appetite

Our appetite is controlled by endogenous hormones. Experiments show that hunger inducing hormone ghrelin increases by an average of 28% in people who can only sleep for 4 hours for two consecutive days, while leptin dropped by 18%. When leptin decreases, our appetite will increase, leading to more calorie intake. Also, metabolic rate will also decrease, tending to store more fat.\

The Brain’s Reward Mechanism

While in sleep depletion, the brain gives greater food reward than usual, stimulating you to eat some high-fat, high-sugar, and high-calorie foods. Even if you are aware that the food is unhealthy, it is difficult to make a rational decision at that moment. Who will still spend time preparing a nutritious and healthy meal when they are hungry? And the blame is on our neurological response.

Diet Quality Decreases

Lack of sleep also leads to irregular eating behavior and nutritional imbalances. Studies show that sleep-deprived people tend to eat fewer main meals and more snacks, especially after dinner. Lacking enough dietary fiber, snacks cannot give us much satiety. And they are generally higher in calories than regular meals, so calorie intake will increase accordingly.

How to Improve Sleep Quality?

According to National Sleep Foundation, it is recommended adult should have 7-9 hours per day. Also, it is better to avoid food that disrupt sleep such as caffeine, and limit food intake 2-3 hours before bed

Reference

  1. Dashti HS, Scheer FA, Jacques PF, Lamon-Fava S, Ordovás JM. Short sleep duration and dietary intake: epidemiologic evidence, mechanisms, and health implications. Adv Nutr. 2015;6(6):648-659. Published 2015 Nov 13. doi:10.3945/an.115.008623
  2. Devon L. Golem, Jennifer T. Martin-Biggers, Mallory M. Koenings, Katherine Finn Davis and Carol Byrd-Bredbenner. An Integrative Review of Sleep for Nutrition Professionals. Adv Nutr. 2014 Nov; 5(6): 742–759.Published online 2014 Nov 3. doi:
  3. National Sleep Foundation. 2014 Sleep in America poll: sleep in the modern family. Arlington (VA): National Sleep Foundation; 2014.
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