Sleep & Weight Loss: Why Poor Sleep is Making You Gain Weight

In today’s rat race, people often look over and sacrifice their sleep for work pressure. Often it is found that when people get some time off their work, they indulge themselves in entertainment or socializing. While many might focus on diet and exercise, sleep remains an overlooked factor most of the time.

If you have been struggling to put down some weight even after hours of working out in the gym and having a strict diet, poor sleep might be the culprit for the cause.  Scientific Research has found a shocking relation between weight gain and lack of sleep, particularly the accumulation of belly fat.

This article dives deep into the connection between poor sleep and weight gain. We have explored how lack of proper sleep affects the metabolism, hunger hormones, and the fat-burning process. By the end, you will realize and understand why it is essential to maintain quality sleep along with a balanced diet and regular physical activities.

The Science Behind Sleep and Weight Gain

How Lack of Sleep Alters The Hunger Hormones?

Sleep that is not of the best quality disrupts one of the primary mechanisms by which weight gain may come about: disruptions in appetitive hormones like ghrelin and leptin.

• Ghrelin – known as the “hunger hormone”- signals the brain that it is time to eat. Being sleep-deprived causes the production of more ghrelin within the body; hence, increased appetite when sleep is inadequate.
• Leptin: This hormone signals fullness. When there is inadequate sleep, there is a reduction in the leptin levels. This makes your body to recognize when you have had enough food.

So, the result? You tend to eat more, particularly unhealthy high-calorie foods, which leads in weight gain and increase belly fat.

The Connection Between Stress and Fat

Cortisol, which is the prime hormone associated with stress, generally rises with sleep deprivation. It proclivities towards increased fat storage within the abdominal region, thus it is usually among the reserves from which metabolism makes use when alarmed by stress. Prolonged sleep deprivation will subject the body, too, to a chronic stress condition that eventually leads to the building up of visceral fat, the unhealthy fat surrounding some internal organs.

Poor Sleep Slows Down Metabolism

Sleep is crucial for metabolism. Research has made it quite clear that sleep deprivation causes a reduction in resting metabolic rate, which accounts for basal calorie burns while at rest.

It also disturbs the normal conversion of sugars and fats in the body, causing weight gain and, after a while, the development of insulin resistance and onset of type 2 diabetes.

Lack Of Sleep Leads to The Increase of Late Night Snacking

Sleeping late makes one more prone to binge snacking late at night and that is hardly ever on healthy foods. According to studies, sleep-deprived people apparently consume a higher number of calories especially derived from high-fat and high-carb snacks.

The reason behind this is that your brain craves quick energy sources. This leads you to grab junk food instead of nutritious meals. When late-night snacking is combined with lower metabolism, it leads to rapid weight gain.

Poor Sleep Reduces Physical Activity

Feeling exhausted to exercise? Well, that’s another way lack of sleep contributes to weight gain.

• Lack of energy makes it difficult to keep active.
• Less motivation means more chances to skip exercise.
• Higher fatigue means less performance on workouts and fewer burned calories.

While you do manage to keep up with some physical activity, the lack of sleep will only hinder muscle recovery and the development of lean muscle. This factor is crucial in burning fat.

How is Sleep Related to Belly Fat?

Dangerously enough, visceral fat surrounds internal organs; that’s what you call belly fat. It makes you prone to serious diseases like heart diseases, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

The person’s not getting enough sleep may contribute to the addition of fat on the belly directly in various ways:

• Cortisol levels rise in the body, making deposition of the fat in the abdomen.
• A person’s increased appetite increased the number of calories consumed.
• Metabolic processes that burn fat are suppressed, affecting efforts to lose weight.
• The person is also likely to crave sweets and processed foods, since these two encourage fat storage in the tummy area.

The evidence is that people who sleep less than six hours a night are much more likely to have more visceral fat than those who get at least seven to eight hours of good sleep on average during the night.

Related Article you might love giving a read! – How to Reduce Belly Fat in One Week

How to Get Quality Sleep for Better Weight Loss?

When you’re committed to weight management and getting rid of that obstinate belly fat, improving your sleep should definitely be your first priority. Here are some scientific research-based ways to enhance your sleep quality:

Maintain a Consistent Sleep Schedule

Going to bed and waking up early at the same time every day, even on weekends helps to regulate the body’s internal clock so that better quality sleep can be attained.

Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine

Establish a peaceful routine before bed wherein one creates habits that indicate the body that it is time for bed:

• Reading for pleasure should be done at some point right before going to bed because reading brings calm into the mind and physiologically prepares the body for a nice sleep.
• Warm baths really relax muscle, and it prepares one for a good night’s sleep.
• Deep breathing or meditation is done just before sleep.
• Do not do any stressful activities before going to bed.

Limit Blue Light Exposure Before Bed

For at least an hour before sleep, use the electronic devices as little as possible and attach filters to shield light emissions. Blue light from electronic displays such as phones, tablets, and TVs inhibits melatonin production-the hormone responsible for regulating sleep.

Keep Your Bedroom Cool and Dark

Cool, dark, and quiet places tend to promote deeper and better sleep. Thus, the best sleeping environment is one that keeps a temperature of 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 19 degrees Celsius).

Avoid Late Day Caffeine and Alcohol

• Caffeine remains in your system for hours, so keep your coffee, tea and energy drinks conservative and limit them to before 2 p.m.
• Alcohol might make one sleepy but invariably disrupts sleep patterns, therefore never really enabling good restorative sleep.

Get Exposed to Sunlight During Day

Furthermore, exposure to daylight helps synchronize the circadian rhythm, thus facilitating sleep onset during nighttime. At least thirty minutes of morning and early afternoon outside could count.

Exercise Regularly

While regular physical activity helps in having a good night’s sleep, intense workouts right before your bedtime, on the other hand, can make falling asleep harder.

Manage Stress and Anxiety

Having high-stress levels reduces the quality of sleep and contributes to gaining weight. So, managing stress effectively is the key to good sleep. Therefore, practice a few relaxation techniques such as:

• Meditation
• Yoga
• Journaling
• Deep breathing exercises

Final Thoughts

The shocking association between sleep deprivation and weight gain really is undeniable, especially regarding belly fat. Given that insufficient sleep effectively boosts weight gain due to the effect of hunger hormones on increase of craving, slowing the metabolism, and reducing physical activity motivation, any kind of weight gain can be at stake.

If diet and exercise are no longer working for you in weight loss, perhaps it’s time to examine your sleeping patterns. Getting proper sleep ranging from 7 to 9 hours will definitely help in the weight management, fasten the metabolic rate as well as fight stubborn belly fat.

Simple lifestyle changes could create major changes- regular sleep schedule, stress management and avoidance of late-night snacking, for weight reduction and general better health. Before trying another diet or exercise program, try getting into the good habit of going to bed at the right time- your body would for sure appreciate it!

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