It can be a difficult challenge to strip off the last layer of lower belly fat. That’s because it seems to cling to your body forever. You’ve probably come across different tips on the best diets to lose the extra weight, including notes on the importance of sleep and weight loss. It is very likely that you are also getting plenty of exercise. This is supposed to boost your metabolism and help you lose belly fat. Nevertheless, you keep coming up short every time.
If your workouts and diet didn’t yield fat-burning results, you need to think about sleeping! There is no question here that how you exercise and what you eat affect your success rate. However, you shouldn’t neglect other factors that also influence your progress. Sleep is one of those factors for sure. Most people don’t regard sleep as a success factor, though.
There are quite a few strong connections between sleep and weight loss. Let’s examine the fundamentals of that relationship.
Poor Sleep & Metabolism
As you may already know, metabolism is the chemical process by which calories are converted into energy. Research suggests that insufficient and poor sleep can slow down metabolism and cause it to work less effectively. This leaves more unspent energy to be accumulated in your body as fat.
It is all about getting enough sleep. You also should make sure your sleep is restful and high-quality. Keep in mind that oversleeping is also harmful. Sleeping too much may negatively affect your well-being. It gives rise to various health problems and increases the risk of obesity. However, in discussing sleep and weight loss, we don’t find any negative impacts of losing weight when you get too much sleep.
Increased Cortisol and Insulin Levels
There are numerous studies showing that poor sleep makes the body produce more cortisol and insulin. High cortisol and insulin levels put the body in such a state that the energy is stored as fat. Researchers have noticed that people who sleep poorly have higher early evening and afternoon cortisol levels.
Sleep problems can make you toss and turn all night long. After a sleepless night, you are going to crave carbs the next day. Sleep deprivation leads to impaired glucose control over time. Moreover, recent studies have found that poor sleep decreases insulin and glucose sensitivity. This increases the likelihood of developing diabetes.
Increased Appetite & Hormonal Changes
Ongoing sleep restriction is also responsible for some hormonal changes that increase appetite and hunger. In fact, it affects hormones that regulate feelings of hunger and fullness.
When you’re short on sleep, levels of leptin go down. This hormone is crucial to weight control and appetite, as it promotes a feeling of fullness. The levels of ghrelin — a hormone that stimulates hunger — rise at the same time. A lack of sleep is also associated with an imbalance in serotonin levels. This monoamine neurotransmitter affects both appetite and mood.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, sleep plays an important role in weight loss. Exercise alone does not result in substantial weight loss. So make sure you are getting enough sleep every night and strive to keep the weight-sleep connection healthy.
Healthy sleep will make you think more clearly and feel better. It will also help you recover from exercise and rebuild your torn muscles, thereby improving your exercise performance. Sleep and weight loss go hand-in-hand, so be sure you dial in your sleep health before you worry about factors of lesser importance.
Read more: The Role of Quality Sleep in Weight Loss | Project Swole
Tags: appetite, cortisol, health, hormones, leptin, lose weight, sleep, sleep and weight loss, weight loss
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