Are we getting enough sleep? The answer for most of us is that we are not getting as much sleep as we need. This can have several detrimental affects on our bodies and minds, and one of these is weight gain. Would it surprise you to know that good regular sleep can help us achieve our target weight and maintain it?
People who have enough sleep have lower a BMI than those people who are sleep deprived. What is it about lack of sleep that can lead to weight gain? Not getting enough sleep creates havoc with our hormones.
Leptin is produced in our body's fat cells and it suppresses hunger. It works with grehlin which is released by our stomachs and induces hunger. When we don't get enough sleep it lowers the levels of leptin and increases the levels of grehlin so we feel more hungry. Because we are tired we reach for comfort food with higher levels of sugar and fat, and eat more of them. When we get enough sleep our levels of leptin are increased and levels of grehlin are decreased which means that we are less hungry.
We produce more growth hormone when we are asleep then awake, which is one of the reasons that children need more sleep. We also need growth hormone for repairing our body's, which is why we need more rest and sleep when we are ill or when we have had surgery or a broken bone. Growth hormone also helps to build muscle and muscle helps to increase our metabolism. Lack of sleep means that we have less growth hormone, less repair, less muscle and reduced metabolism. This can all lead to weight gain.
Sufficient sleep reduces our levels of cortisol, one of the stress hormones. Cortisol interferes with our body's ability to make muscle and breaking down protein into glucose is stimulated by cortisol. All unused glucose is stored as fat.
To have the energy to exercise and repair after exercise we need enough sleep. If we force ourselves to exercise when we are too tired we will increase our risk of injury and we will take longer to repair any injuries sustained.
Lack of sleep can also cause people to feel a bit fed up or even depressed, which can also lead to choosing comfort foods, less exercise and increased weight gain.
As busy women we can find it hard to get enough sleep because there is always something that 'needs' to be done, or we have too many thoughts in our head to relax enough to be able to sleep well. However if we are to reach our weight goals and maintain them, and if we are to enjoy a sustainable level of health and vitality then we need to have enough sleep.
As we become better at time management, delegation and realising that we are worth looking after, we can begin to enjoy enough sleep and the many benefits that it brings with it.
warmest wishes
Sarah
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