You may not know it, but quality sleep is a fundamental ingredient for weight loss. Here are seven science-backed ways that sleep can help you lose weight.
Rest is very important and poor sleep has many negative consequences for our body.
Adequate sleep helps our body carry out all the regulatory and maintenance functions it needs to function properly, and among other things, poor sleep can be one of the reasons why you do not lose weight if you are on a diet.
To lose weight, you have to achieve a caloric deficit, which consists of eating fewer calories than we burn. This is obtained by following a suitable diet for our personal circumstances, and also the practice of exercise is highly recommended to burn more calories and tone our body.
But weight loss can be affected by other factors, and sleep is one of them. Pay attention because we are going to show you Seven Science-Backed Ways Sleep Can Help You Lose Weight:
- Lack of sleep is linked to weight gain. Scientific studies link lack of sleep with weight gain and a higher body mass index (BMI). Sleeping less than seven hours a night helps people gain weight.
- Sleeping little increases your appetite. When you don’t get enough sleep, your levels of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) go up, while those of leptin (the satiety hormone) go down. Furthermore, lack of sleep also disrupts the process of regulating insulin and glucose, as well as other substances that regulate appetite.
- Your self-control is weaker when you don’t rest well. Lack of sleep affects how your brain works. When you are tired, the activity of the frontal lobe is reduced, which is responsible for self-control and decision-making. In addition, the reward centers of the brain are stimulated more by food when we sleep little.
- Poor sleep can increase calorie intake. Poor sleep can increase your calorie intake. This is because lack of sleep causes you to consume caloric foods at night and encourages you to increase your portion sizes.
- Lack of sleep can lower your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Basal metabolic rate is the number of calories your body consumes at rest. When you don’t get enough sleep, your BMR can be negatively affected, although the study findings are mixed.
- Sleep can improve physical activity. If you don’t get a good night’s rest, you run a higher risk of lacking motivation and reducing both the amount and intensity of exercise.
- Good sleep helps prevent insulin resistance. Just a few days without sleep can cause cells to become resistant to insulin, a precursor symptom of weight gain and type 2 diabetes.