Is sleeping well the dream
recipe to lose weight? Can’t figure out why you’re gaining those
extra pounds? Or why it’s difficult to lose
weight? The reason may be sleep deprivation or insufficient sleep.
We all require a good
night’s sleep. When we get sound sleep, we feel refreshed, energized
and we are ready to conquer the world. Sufficient sleep restores us physically,
mentally, and emotionally. When we don’t, we feel exhausted, sluggish, inactive
and irritable.
According to the National Sleep Foundation,
adults should get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. Yet the
average Indian adult sleeps just 6.5hours per night during the workweek.
Research shows that sufficient
sleep plays a vital role in weight control and decreasing the risk of metabolic
disorders such as insulin resistance and diabetes as well as other
sleep-related problems. In short, sleep is essential to our short- and
long-term health.
It is rightly said
that, “Sleep debt is like credit card debt. If you keep accumulating credit
card debt, you will pay high interest rates or your account will be shut down
until you pay it all off. If you accumulate too much sleep debt, your body will
crash.”
The Sleep/Weight relationship
Several studies have
indicated that both insufficient sleep (less than five or six hours) and
excessive sleep (more than nine or 10 hours) are associated with weight gain,
but not all studies define insufficient and excessive sleep the same way. Sleep
deprivation increases your levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which intensifies
your appetite. When you’re stressed, your body tries to produce serotonin to
calm you down. This often takes you into grasping of junk food or comforting
foods which are bad for you. When you don’t get enough sleep, the mitochondria
in your cells that digest fuel start to shut off. Sugar remains in your blood,
and you end up with high blood sugar levels.
Losing out on sleep can make fat
cells 30 percent less able to deal with insulin, according to a study in Annals
of Internal Medicine. Sleeplessness can fool your body into thinking
you’re in danger and it goes into survival mode which decreases metabolism of
your body. A large majority of studies have found that sleep restriction leads
to increased caloric consumption (greater than 250 kcal/day).
After-effects of insufficient sleep
- Interferes with memory, learning, attention, and mood.
- Changes the ratios of leptin and ghrelin production, leading to the over consumption of carbohydrate and high-calorie foods and weight gain.
- Alters blood glucose and insulin metabolism, increasing the risk of developing diabetesReduces the immune response to infection by reducing cytokine production
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Interferes with the release of the growth hormone affecting muscle mass development, tissue repair, puberty, and fertility.
Triggers the release of adrenaline, cortisol, and other stress hormones, leading to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Sleeping habits checklist
If you have difficulty falling asleep and staying
asleep, here are few tips to overcome it.
Take a nap if needed, but not for more than 20 minutes or after 3 pm.
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Avoid watching TV or keep that smartphone aside for at least one hour before bedtime.
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Keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and cool for sound sleep.
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Get 30 minutes of sunlight exposure, preferably in the morning hours, most days of the week.
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Try to be on bed the same time each night and wake up the same time every morning—even on the weekends. -
Discuss with your doctor or pharmacist alternatives to medicines that interfere with sleep. - Limit eating and drinking to small quantities before bedtime
- Exercise early in the day for 30 to 60 minutes at least 5 days a week.
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Consult your doctor or a sleep specialist if you continually feel sleepy during the day despite sleeping enough hours at night, consistently need more than 30 minutes to fall asleep at night, snore loudly or frequently, or awaken frequently or for long periods most nights of the week.
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Don’t lie awake in bed for more than 20 minutes. If you can’t sleep, get up and do something relaxing such as reading a book until you feel sleepy again.
So next time you wonder why
you’re not seeing the results of your healthy diet and workout regimen, be alert
of your sleep patterns. Do you get just about five hours in bed every night, or
do you stay up for late night snacking?
References:
5.https://www.nih.gov
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