How Sleep Affects Weight & A Plan for Better Sleep

When it comes to weight loss, there are two factors that almost everyone can recite: Diet and exercise. But there’s an equally critical component to weight loss that’s not discussed enough: Sleep. Getting adequate, high quality sleep during the night could be your secret weapon to managing cravings, regulating metabolism, losing weight, and improving your quality of life. Here are a few ways sleep affects out weight.

Lack of Sleep Throws Off Metabolism-regulating Hormones

Our patients know that regulating their metabolism is key to managing their weight. But if you’re not getting enough sleep, your hard work could be counterproductive. Sleep loss changes the release of two appetite-controlling hormones: ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin tells the brain we are hungry and, during sleep deprivation, it’s released in larger amounts. Leptin is called the satiety hormone—it signals appetite suppression. Leptin is released in smaller amounts with sleep deprivation.

So our metabolism-regulating hormones are thrown off in two ways: We feel hungrier during the day and don’t receive the proper signal of fullness. Both lead to overeating and weight gain.

Lack of Sleep Affects Cravings

Have you ever noticed that you feel hungrier when you are sleep deprived? Have you also noticed that you crave calorie-dense food over healthier options? Your willpower is not to blame here—this is another hormone alteration caused by sleep loss.

Researchers at UC Berkeley found that sleep deprivation increases the activity of deeper, primal brain regions that respond directly to rewards. The combination of increased primal drives and reduced executive function in the brain creates a double-whammy that makes people more likely to reach for cookies and pizza over leafy greens or lean meats.

In this study, the researchers used fMRI to scan the brains of 23 healthy young adults: once after a solid night of sleep and again after a sleepless night. The results of the brain imaging showed an increase of lower brain function and a decrease of upper brain function which caused participants to crave junk foods when they were sleep deprived.

Quality and Quality of Sleep Are Equally Important

Seven to eight hours of sleep is advised for all people, but the quality of sleep you experience is just as important. If you struggle to stay asleep, reach deep REM sleep, if you wake up tired, or if you suspect you have trouble breathing at night, get medical help.

The symptoms above cause sleep fragmentation that throw off our metabolic, hormonal, and immune system functions. They could indicate a bigger problem such as obstructive sleep apnea or insomnia. Ogden Clinic Medical Weight Loss offers in-network referrals for sleep studies and treatment. We are happy to help you find help if you are chronically tired or suspect a sleep disorder.

How to Start Improving Your Sleep

Here are a few natural ways to prioritize better sleep:

Lower the temperature in your room; we tend to sleep best in a cool environment.
Create a bedtime schedule and try to sleep at the same time each night.
Avoid electronics thirty minutes prior to going to bed.
Adjust your eating habits. Did you know that several studies agree that a high-carb/low-fat diet has been shown to significantly decrease the quality of sleep compared to a low-carb/ high-fat diet with the same amount of calories for both diets?
Listen to relaxing music.
Avoid exercise close to bedtime.

Start with a few of these changes and contact us if you are still experiencing poor quality of sleep or less than 7 hours of sleep persistently.