In our last article, we discussed many factors that contribute to
weight loss. Today, we explain how lack of sleep inhibits successful
weight loss. For all those who force themselves to stay up late and
get up early, this article is for you!
The body produces many hormones, two of which are directly related to sleep and appetite. One is
ghrelin and the other is
leptin.
Ghrelin is produced in the stomach and triggers hunger, while leptin is
produced in adipose tissue and signals satiety, in other words, it
tells the body "I'm full." In healthy individuals, ghrelin levels are
naturally higher before a meal and leptin levels are naturally higher
after a meal.
When one is
sleep deprived,
however, ghrelin levels climb and lower the levels of leptin in the
body. A sleep-deprived body receives signals that it is hungry beause
the appetite control hormone leptin has been "turned off" by the
appetite stimulating hormone ghrelin. A
study in the journal PLoS Medicine
shows the correlation between short sleep duration and high levels of
ghrelin. Over a 15 year period from 1989-2004, the study shows that
people who consistently sleep only five hours a night exhibit a 15%
increase in ghrelin (the appetite stimulant) and a 16% decrease in
leptin (the "I'm full" signal).
According to the researcher behind the
study,
Emmanuelle Mignot of Stamford University, this proves a regulatory
problem exists in people of today's "unnatural" society. Before the
desk job became the dominate characteristic of modern work, the human
race engaged in physical activity daily as a natural part of life.
Physical activity both increases one's appetite
and one's
need for sleep. But today, most of us are sedentary much of the day,
yet forgo sleep to try and squeeze more work into the day. So we're
not getting enough physical activity AND we're not sleeping! Thus, the
hormone ghrelin is flowing causing us to feel hungry and eat more,
though we're not engaging in the activity necessary to burn the
calories of the additional food intake.
Most people tend to brag
about how little sleep they get or how little sleep they need.
Somehow, sleeping less has become the sign of a "hard worker" or a
"dedicated employee," but please don't fall into that trap! Sleep is
good! You can do the "
Hundreds" thousands of times and do
Pilates workouts
(or any workout for that matter) until you are exhausted, but if you
are not sleeping adequately, the hormone ghrelin is most likely
thwarting your progress. Sleep is not only replenishing, it also
serves to balance these important hormones -- so get to bed -- NOW!
Our next article will discuss how stress is related to weight gain so tune in next time!