Have you been wondering lately why in spite of all the care you have still been gaining weight? Research has now proved that there is some connection between lack of sleep and weight gain. Moreover, the time you sleep for and its quality matters a lot. People who take proper sleep (around 7 hours) at night are more likely to stay slimmer than those who don’t. There are other reasons for weight gain like too much calorie intake, lack of exercise, but sleep also plays a major role.
If we analyze this, it will be clear that if you are sleep deprived, you will have an urge to sleep the moment you get an opportunity. Moreover, you will feel drowsy all the time. You will fall asleep the moment you hit bed. If you are not getting proper sleep, it is obvious that you would want to sleep and your body becomes dull. Physical activity becomes nil.
Not only this, lack of sleep also leads to hormonal imbalance. The hormones leptin and ghrelin play important role in keeping hunger under check. When they get imbalanced, there arises problem. Ghrelin increases hunger and leptin acts as a messenger to the brain informing it that you do not need food at that particular time. Less leptin proves that even after you had food you do not feel full and increased ghrelin is a clear indication that your body wants food. This leads to obesity.
Researchers did an experiment and did not let a person to sleep a night and the results were obvious. The person felt hungrier and had a craving for high-calorie foods like chips and chocolate. The person also felt laziness in the body and felt like sleeping the whole day. He could not take proper decisions, his mind went blank and activity in the body was reduced. If you feel sleepy all the time, you will have the desire to eat food, but it will be very difficult for you to get over this feeling.
The connection is quite clear. It’s not like if you sleep more, you will reduce more weight. It is just that if you are not getting proper sleep, your body will feel tired all the time and you will not feel active enough to get up or hit the gym or for that matter go for brisk walking. Try and maintain a good sleep routine so that you feel fresh for the next day. It is advisable not to take caffeine in afternoon which will consequently keep you awake in the night.
To get proper sleep you can go for some exercise. It is very important to understand your body and to set the exercise timing according to it. You can also consult an expert regarding this. However, it is advised to avoid exercising just before going to sleep. But then that too depends on the body because there are people who exercise just before going to bed and get a good sleep.
It is also very important to take care of the diet you take before going to bed. Avoid over eating right before going to bed. You should also avoid eating burgers and pizzas at that time. Even if you feel hungry at that time, try taking light food instead of something heavy. There is a possibility that you suffer from acidity or heartburn if you take heavy meal right before going to bed.
If you have a proper sleep cycle and still feel drowsy and sleepy next day in the morning, you need to consult your doctor. He will definitely be able to tell you the reason for it and will let you know the solution. You can talk to your doctor regarding improving sleep cycle and getting quality sleep at night which would lead to weight reduction.
Thus, it has become clear that less sleep leads to your brain demanding more and higher calorie food and at the same time not giving signal to the body to stay active and agile. Taking in high-calorie food and lack of exercise due to drowsiness will lead to only one thing and that is- WEIGHT GAIN. So, if you are really serious about shedding off that extra pound from your body, get to work. It is high time you watch your sleep cycle. Because it is only after that, that you will be able to own a healthy and fit body you have always been aspiring for.