Will better sleep help you avoid extra pounds?

Will better sleep help you avoid extra pounds?

Those who sleeps loses and those who are awake gains” This is a saying which is very true in practical life but in case of weight gain it is reverse in order. Well friends, scientists have proved this theory that those who sleeps, lose more weight than those who cut down their sleeping hours. Let’s find out how sleep deprivation can cause you gain those extra pounds.

Remember the saying

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself you will succumb in every battle.” – SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR

Extra weight is just like an enemy which can cause many complications in your body therefore you have to know everything about it and sleep deprivation plays a major role in increasing your weight.

Going against nature

The human body is programmed genetically thousands of years ago as diurnal or daylight organisms. In simple words, a human body best functions in daylight be it physically or physiologically. This can be understand by the fact that humans have never developed senses for nightlife whether in case of vision or smell. The metabolic processes like controlling energy, stress and appetite functions efficiently in daylight but if we remain awake in night the efficiency of metabolic processes decreases. It will also affect the appetite and you will feel more hungry which makes you eat more but the consumption of food by the body will be low means more fat storage and more weight gain.

“Eat less move more” makes you low on energy

The general idea of weight loss is eat less, sweat it out more but if you don’t give your body the required amount of rest then you will be drained out of energy. It is like running a car with less fuel which means you will not reach your destination. The best solution would be increasing the efficiency of engine so that you can reach your destination in less fuel. Similarly, sleep is that major factor which maintains the efficiency of our metabolism even when we eat less and work out more. Let’s see how taking a nap can make you lose pounds.

Sleep is a hunger suppressor

Different type of proteins in our body as activator and suppressor of our appetite thus control the hunger process. When we don’t have enough sleep, the hunger suppressor proteins are deactivated and activator proteins are turned on which results in more and uncontrolled appetite. According to a study sleep deprivation causes 28% increase in hunger activator proteins and 18% decrease in hunger suppressor genes. It means that if you sleep less you will feel hungry all the time and even after having a meal you will not feel satisfied. Sleep deprivation left you craving for food throughout the day.

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Sleep reduces stress level

Among the main culprits of overweight or obesity is the stress hormone Cortisol. It is found that lean people have less amount of Cortisol in their body while it is high in sleep deprived people. The circadian rhythm or the normal 24-hour metabolic cycle that is inbuilt in our genetic configuration is responsible of controlling levels of Cortisol in the body. In normal condition, when you have a full night sleep, Cortisol level is high in morning but declines readily after having breakfast. That is why you are suggested not to skip the breakfast during weight loss plan. But if you have not slept well enough then the Cortisol level will remain consistent and interfere with the metabolism which results into more eating throughout day and increase in fat storage. If you want to lose weight but you don’t feel sleepy then have a protein shot before an hour to bedtime. It will make you tired and reduces the Cortisol level in body.

Sleep enhances the calorie burning ability

Studies has shown that those persons who work at night have developed obesity and Type 2 Diabetes more than the general population. It was found that sleep deprivation interferes with the normal level of insulin, a hormone which functions as a regulator and ensures efficient utilization of calories in the body. In case of sleep deprivation, the body cells becomes less sensitive to insulin which in turn reduces the calorie burning and induces the calorie conversion to fat.

Sleep affects the manufacturing of muscle mass

If you have more muscle mass then you will lose more weight since muscle cells takes up more calories than the fat cell. More muscle mass means more calorie burning in a day but sleep loss interfere with the manufacturing of muscle mass. It results into conversion of calories into fat which is stored in the fat cells.

If you have started working on your weight loss plan means you are eating healthy food and doing exercises even you are going to bed early but you end up staring at the ceiling. Now that is frustrating, you can use these simple tips which can help you in falling asleep early:

  • Leave your gadgets and computer

It is very hard for you to part with your mobile , laptop, computer or television but if you want to sleep early you have to leave it before half an hour from the bedtime. The light from these appliances interferes with the level of Melatonin, a hormone which controls the sleep cycle. You can read something before going to bed it will help in early sleep.

  • Melatonin supplement

It is found that 3 mg of melatonin supplement is enough for inducing sleep. Another herb Valerian is also popular for relaxing properties which doesn’t induce sleep but helps your body to relax and result into natural sleep. There are some supplements which has properties of melatonin as well as Valerian which makes you relax and helps in having a full night sleep.

  • Protein beverage before sleep

Drinking a protein beverages makes you feel full as well as makes your body tired. It also reduces the stress hormone Cortisol in blood stream which helps in inducing sleep.

  • Don’t change sleep time

If you sleep at a fixed time daily then your body will adapt to that time and you will feel sleepy automatically around your bedtime. But if you will not fix your schedule then your body will not able to set the body clock accordingly and you have to do effort daily for sleep.

  • No exercise before three hours from bedtime

Exercise keeps you awake and alert and the impact lasts upto two to three hours. It also decreases the level of melatonin, the sleep inducing hormone. That is why it is suggested to avoid any kind of physical activity before three hours of bedtime.

  • No daytime nap

Try to avoid sleeping at daytime for longer hours as it will make hard you to fall asleep in evening.

Sleeps helps you in reaping the benefits of your diet plan and work out. If you think that sleep alone can make you slim then it must be a dream. During your sleeping time, your body perform the repairing and rejuvenation function of tissues. You cannot achieve fitness with a damaged body so eat healthy, workout more and sleep well.

Weight Loss