The Importance of Sleep for Weight Loss
Not getting enough sleep has a lot of side effects, which
might result in serious health issues in the long run, and immediate side
effects that are less fatal, but equally problematic.
Side-effects of Not Getting Enough Sleep
1) Dietary Hormonal Imbalance
Ghrelin and leptin are two
hormones that primarily control our appetite and hunger. These are responsible
for an individual feeling hungry, or full. When an individual does not get
enough sleep, the levels of ghrelin are increased in our bodies, which makes us
feel hungry – whether we need to eat or not. At the same time, leptin levels
decrease and leave us feeling hungry perpetually.
2) Resistance to Insulin
Insulin resistance is also
directly related to feeling hungry more than we need to. Changes in Insulin
levels also increases our chances of developing diabetes.
3) High Levels of Stress
Irregular sleep cycle, or the
lack of sleep thereof increases our stress levels. Increased levels of stress
once again causes us to want to eat more, which increases our body fat, resulting
in unnecessary weight gain.
4) Slowed Down Metabolism
Sleep deprivation leaves us with
not enough time to exercise, which decreases the rate of metabolism in our
body.
Important Tips to Follow to Sleep Properly
1) Avoid Anything Containing Caffeine After 3PM
Caffeinated drinks are known to
drive our sleep away, at least for a certain period of time. Having such drinks
within 6 hours of our sleep schedule is highly not recommended.
2) Drink Milk Before Sleeping
Milk contains an enzyme called
tryptophan, which makes us feel very relaxed, and eases us into sleep.
3) Early Dinner
Having a late dinner kind of
energizes your body, instead of relaxing it, which is not good for your sleep
cycle.
4) Avoid Late Night Exercising
Always try to avoid exercising
anywhere in between 9-10PM as our metabolism drastically increases when we tend
to exercise during this time. It also makes us want to eat more, which is not
good for our sleep cycle.
5) Have A Lot of Water
Dehydration has a lot of
problems, in and of itself, and not being able to sleep is one of them. Keeping
our body hydrated at all times is highly important for the overall health of our body, which also includes being able to sleep properly.
Considering all of these factors,
it is very easy to see that sleep plays a very important role in our eating
normally, and not gaining weight unnecessarily. Make sure that you always sleep
on time, and get proper sleep, so that you at least do not tend to gain weight
in the end.
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