How Sleep-Deprivation is Making You Fat!

If you’re not getting enough sleep every night, you’re setting yourself up for weight gain! Lack of sleep is linked to an increased risk of obesity and metabolic issues. Apart from sabotaging your weight loss efforts, sleep deprivation can also cause a wide range of ailments. Don’t let the lack of sleep get in the way of achieving the best shape of your life. Read on to find out how sleep-deprivation is making you fat:

It Changes Your Appetite

Studies show that disturbed or shortened sleep can increase the likelihood of overeating because the body craves high-calorie foods. Sleep deprivation raises the ghrelin level in the stomach while causing leptin levels to go down. Ghrelin controls the appetite and stimulates feelings of hunger while leptin suppresses the appetite. Throughout the day, the brain releases these hormones at different levels. Unfortunately, the lack of sleep disrupts the level of ghrelin and leptin in the body and this affects the appetite. This could lead to bouts of intense cravings followed by overeating and indulging on high-calorie foods.

Lack of Sleep Can Cause Belly Fat

Multiple studies found a link between belly fat and sleep deprivation. When you don’t get enough sleep every night, you feel hungrier. When you are hungry, you make poor dietary choices. This can turn into a vicious cycle that leads to weight gain. According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, dieters who do not get enough sleep develop a fatty body. Even if two person sticks to the same diet, the one who got enough sleep will experience a 55% reduction in fat compared to the other who did not get enough sleep!

Sleep Deprivation Alters the Fat Cells

Ever wonder why you feel drained, exhausted and dazed after a disturbed sleep? This isn’t just the body’s response to the lack of sleep. It’s also a sign that the metabolic rate is slowing down. This condition is called “metabolic grogginess.” When it occurs, the body’s hormones are no longer able to control the fat cells as effectively. This causes the fat cells to grow larger, rendering the body unable to remove lipids and fatty acids in the blood stream. Inevitably, metabolic grogginess will lead to insulin resistance.

A study conducted by University of Chicago researchers found that metabolic grogginess can cause a drop in insulin sensitivity by up to 30%.

Renders Workouts Ineffective

If you think working out is an effective way to offset overeating caused by sleep deprivation, think again. When you are sleep deprived, the body is not working at its peak. You will lose mass because the lack of sleep decreases protein synthesis in the body. This will make it hard for the body to burn off fat and develop a lean, muscular physique. Also, the normal supply of growth hormones is reduced when you don’t get enough sleep and this leads to higher levels of stress. Finally, sleep deprivation makes you feel lazy, sluggish. All these work together to render any exercise routine ineffective.