We all know by now how beneficial sleep is to our health. But did you know that sleep helps you lose weight, too? This may not be much of a surprise if you consider how loss of sleep affects your body.
While we sleep our bodies produce peptin, a hormone that helps regulate our appetites. But if you cut down on your sleeping hours, there won’t be enough peptin in your body. As a result, your appetite will increase, and you’ll be at a higher risk of obesity.
Here are three more ways in which sleep helps you lose weight.
1. Sleep Boosts Your Self-Control
Scientists have proved that sleep helps maintain activity in the frontal lobe of your brain. This is the part of the brain in charge of self-control, as well as the decision-making process. Moreover, some studies show that if you don’t get enough sleep, the reward centers in your brain will only react to food. As such, being well-rested allows you to have better control of your calorie intake.
2. Sleep Helps You Stay in Shape
To stay fit, you need to engage in physical activity on a regular basis. But if you’re sleep-deprived, you’ll be tired from the moment you wake up and throughout the day. When you’re tired, you’re also less likely to muster up the motivation you need to take up exercise. Also, one study showed that spending 10 hours in bed each night can improve your athletic performance.
3. Sleep Regulates Your Blood Sugar Levels
The hormone insulin is crucial to your well-being. It transports sugar to all your cells, which then use it as a source of energy. While you’re sleeping, your body optimizes the amount of insulin in your blood flow. But lack of sleep makes your cell resistant to insulin. The sugar they carry then gets stuck in your bloodstream and your insulin levels rise. This could lead to coronary problems and weight gain, as well as the onset of type 2 diabetes. To avoid these problems altogether, all you need is a good night’s sleep.
References
7 Ways Sleep Can Help You Lose Weight. URL link. Accessed 11th November 2017.
