Sleep & Weight Loss.
Imagine losing weight while you sleep. Simple as that.
Well, a recent paper discusses this topic and it appears that quality sleep does play a major role in weight regulation. I have summarised the findings below.
Sleep–wake cycles exert a strong effect on the circulating levels of ghrelin and leptin, hormones that regulate appetite and calorie intake.
Short sleep duration may be associated with an increase in the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, and a decrease in the hormone leptin ( the “feeling full” hormone. This leads to increased food intake to combat fatigue or stress, among other possible mechanisms.
Poor sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce weight by altering the levels of appetite-regulating hormones, leading to a reduction in dietary compliance.
An increase in sleep duration and correction of sleep disorders may be accompanied by a better balance of the hormones that regulate appetite, with enhanced glucose tolerance, and a reduction in the level of the “stress hormone” cortisol.
To find out more read this interesting 2022 article:
Papatriantafyllou E, Efthymiou D, Zoumbaneas E, Popescu CA, Vassilopoulou E. Sleep Deprivation: Effects on Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance. Nutrients. 2022 Apr 8;14(8):1549. doi: 10.3390/nu14081549. PMID: 35458110; PMCID: PMC9031614.