Can poor sleep lead to weight gain?
It is known that poor sleep quality and quantity can have a negative impact on our health, but did you know it can also hinder weight management efforts? Research shows that individuals who get adequate sleep make healthier food choices than those who don’t. It has also been shown that reduced sleep may disrupt appetite hormone regulation, specifically increasing ghrelin and decreasing leptin and, thereby, influence energy intake throughout the day to be more than energy expenditure. In other words, hormones that make you feel hungry rev up in your body when sleep is impaired, driving you to eat more. Less sleep means more hours awake, so there are more hours in the day to feel hungry and a higher potential to consume food. Feeling fatigued, sluggish, irritable and foggy leads us to seek out calorie laden foods, caffeine and refined sugars as a quick pick me up. However, the result, if any, is short-lived, and our waking hours are spent sitting due to lack of energy, versus spent being physically active. To put it plainly, less sleep means higher hunger hormone production and bigger appetite, with low energy levels and fatigue, leading us to seek out more food of higher calorie content and poorer nutrient composition, only to move less and burn fewer calories.
What can we do? With long working hours, running errands, taking care of a home and family- something needs to give. Unfortunately, it is usually a deduction of restful sleep hours. Instead of skimping on sleep, come up with a sleep plan to help you get back on track. Better sleep could mean improved focus, energy and concentration, allowing you to do more with your time during the day and increase productivity. Use our tips below to help you get started.
Set a bed time and wake time with alarms and reminders if needed, even on the weekends. This will help regular your natural circadian rhythm. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the recommended hours of sleep each night is 7-9 hours for adults, and only 66% of Americans are meeting that. And in this case, more is not always better- studies have shown that adults who sleep more than 9 hours each night are also at risk for various cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, so aim specifically for the recommended 7-9 hours.
Avoid napping during the day, or at least past 3pm, as this can interrupt your ability to fall asleep.
Set up a comfortable sleep environment. Melatonin is a natural hormone that secretes at night and in the dark to promote sleep. Hang black out curtains to block out light, and shot off light from screens such as phones, tables, and televisions. If noise bothers you during sleep, use a white noise machine, or a white noise app on your phone, to play on a continuous low-volume loop at night. Ensure the temperature is controlled (54-75 degrees F).
Engage in regular exercise and physical activity during the day. Research has shown that this can help the body naturally fall asleep at the end of the day.
Be aware of food and beverage consumption. Avoid use of caffeine later in the day (including coffee, soda, tea and chocolate) as the stimulant will keep you awake when you want to sleep. Avoid use of alcohol before bed. Even though it may make you feel drowsy, it disrupts the sleep cycle causing you to wake more frequently throughout the night. And lastly, avoid large meals and snacks before bedtime to prevent reflux and indigestion, as well as excessive fluid intake which would require frequent urination.
Can certain food and drink help with sleep? Perhaps! Consider including these healthy foods that contain melatonin and tryptophan into your evening meal or snack several hours before bedtime. Dietary sources of melatonin include almonds, walnuts, bananas, pineapple, and oranges. Dietary sources of tryptophan, an amino acid that increases serotonin (which is a brain chemical that can lead to insomnia when too low), include egg whites, cheese, soy beans, oats and poultry.
If you try the above recommendations and still struggle with insufficient sleep, speak to your doctor about possible treatment methods to pursue. Visit the National Sleep Foundation website for more information. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/
References:
1. National Sleep Foundation. How Much Sleep Do We Really Need. Internet: http//www.sleepfoundation.org/article/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need (accessed 2 April 2019).
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4. Schmid S, Hasschmid M, Schultes B. The metabolic burden of sleep loss. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinology. 2014; 3. PubMed PMID:15851636