Ever wondered that insufficient sleep could be the cause behind your mysterious weight gain. Research suggests that weight gain due to lack of sleep is constantly on the rise. Here’s how the two are linked:
Lack of sleep can increase your appetite: Appetite is controlled by two hormones, Ghrelin and Leptin. Ghrelin is responsible for increasing hunger, and Leptin is the one that suppresses hunger. Sleep deprivation alters the balance between these two. It increases the release of the hunger hormone and reduces the secretion of its counterpart. This leads to an increased appetite causing you to consume more calories than you need. According to various studies people who slept lesser than 6 hours, not only had higher appetites but also craved more junk and sugar-laden foods.
Sleep deprivation makes you choose unhealthy foods: Lack of sleep messes up with the way your frontal lobe works. The frontal lobe is that part of your brain which is responsible for self-control and decides what is good for your body and what isn’t. When you do not sleep enough, the frontal lobe loses its ability and judgment to differentiate the good foods from the bad. This leads to excessive consumption of junk, sugar-laden and fatty foods.
Poor sleep alters your metabolism: People who are sleep deprived have a low Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). RMR ( Resting Metabolic Rate) is the speed at which calories are burnt during the resting period. Not only that, people with inadequate sleeping hours have a lower active metabolic rate as well. This means that you’re not only consuming more calories than required but burning them at a slower rate than usual.
Lack of sleep paves way for a lazy lifestyle: Sleep deprivation makes a person all groggy and tired. This fatigue will prevent you from showing up for your regular workout. Not only that it will also make you less active throughout the day.
Sleep deprivation leads to caffeine overdose: A sleepy person is more likely to have several cups of coffee throughout the day to stay alert during working hours. This heavy caffeine consumption, especially towards the end of the day, leads to sleeplessness at night. This vicious cycle of poor sleep quality and excessive caffeine consumption is then very difficult to break.
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