You can always depend on good ol’ Will Shakespeare to come up with a good quote to use in a title. This is from Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, “To be, or not to be” act II, scene I, in the Bard’s Hamlet.
All I can say is that if I don’t get enough sleep, there’s no way in hell I can say what’s to be or not to be. I walk around in a brain fog and I’m cranky as hell. Apart from the moodiness and not having the capacity to focus on anything, not sleeping well can adversely affect your health, but also sabotage your weight-loss efforts.
If you suffer from chronic sleep deprivation, a multitude serious medical conditions can develop from hypertension (and all its related diseases) to fetal and childhood growth retardation. But for this post, let’s just focus on how not getting enough sleep can wreak havoc with the pounds.
In an article by Colette Bouchez for WebMd, Bouchez writes that there’s substantial evidence that the sleep and the quality of it are tied to hormonal activity and appetite. It’s been known for a while that sleep and hormones have played a part, but recent research on two hormones—leptin and ghrelin— influence appetite and that their production is based on how little or how many z’s we get per night.
This hormonal duo work together to control to control feelings of hunger and fullness. Ghrelin, which is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, triggers appetite, where as leptin—found in fat cells—send a signal to the brain when you’ve eaten enough.
What happens, though, is that when you don’t get enough sleep, these two hormones go haywire. Leptin levels drop, which sends the wrong signal that you’re not full, while ghrelin levels rise, stimulating that incessant need to eat. Working together, these two hormones ultimately lead to overeating and to weight gain.
So is the rule to go to bed a reasonable hour and get at least 8 hours of sleep to keep the pounds from creeping up the one to follow? Easier said than done because now we enter into the realm of quality of sleep and sleep apnea.
People who suffer from sleep apnea—who are more likely to be obese — may stop breathing up to a minute, sometimes numerous of times during that eight hour down time and that disruption in sleep prevents you getting the important rest you need. But there’s a glitch with the levels of hormones.
According to studies of patients with sleep apnea, the levels of leptin are high instead of the usual low levels. But once they’re treated, the levels drop and it helps them lose weight. This loss might be due to possibly to sleeping better, which leads to more energy and exercise.
So why do leptin levels cause weight gain in some people and not in others? Ultimately it all comes down to how our individual systems are wired and how each person responds to the level of these hormones. Also to take into account are a slew of factors ranging from our environment to stress levels that influence these two hormones.
Although leptin and ghrelin are important when it comes to sleep, experts agree that poor sleep patterns combined with other problems is what eventually leads to weight gain. However if you find yourself nodding off, it’s best not to fight the fatigue with sweets or high carb snacks to keep awake. Instead go for a walk or have a tall glass of cold water. And when the sandman comes knocking on your door, you know it’s time to say “Good night!”
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