Lose weight while you sleep? It sounds too good to be true—but recent research indicates that there is a connection between how much you weigh and the amount of shut-eye you get per night.
Two hormones, ghrelin and leptin, help to control appetite. When you do not get enough rest, levels of ghrelin, which increases hunger, rise; levels of leptin, which promotes feelings of fullness, sink. A study in the May issue of Psychoneuroendocrinology found a significant disruption in nighttime ghrelin levels in chronic insomniacs. According to the study, this hormone imbalance leads insomniacs to experience an increase in appetite during the day, leading to weight gain over time.
In addition to creating an imbalance in ghrelin and leptin, sleep deprivation causes levels of the stress hormone cortisol to rise, which increases cravings for high-carb, high-calorie “comfort foods.” Furthermore, the brain secretes growth hormone during the deep-sleep phase, helping the body convert fat to fuel. Without enough deep sleep, fat accumulates.
Sleep expert Michael Breus, clinical director of the sleep division at Southwest Spine & Sports in Scottsdale, Ariz., says that there is no magic number of hours people should sleep but that the average adult needs about five 90-minute sleep cycles per night, so 7.5 hours seems optimal as a minimum.
But simply getting under the covers is probably not a sufficient strategy to achieve long-term weight loss, Breus says. “What these findings suggest is that there’s a new triad to achieving a healthy weight: diet, exercise and enough sleep.”
Note: This article was originally printed with the title, "You Snooze, You Lose."
This article was originally published with the title You Snooze, You Lose.
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7 Comments
Add CommentIn addition to this, a helpful hint I have learned is when eating a snack in the after dinner hours, try to eat colored fruits or veggies which increases your metabolism while sleeping. A great read years ago was "Eat More Weigh Less". I do not remember the authors name, nonetheless it was a great learning tool for me in my diet plan...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWell, I do believe that if you sleep your 8 hours, then you are going to balance your levels of ghrelin and leptin and you're not going to eat the stuff with the high calories in them!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBut i do not believe that you're gonna lose weight by sleeping, otherwise we would all spend our vacations sleeping!! haha!
just thought i'd share my ideas!
Being overweight sucked, but after reading your book, I lost 85 pounds! Words can not express how good I feel! This is a comment which I recently received about the book Lose Weight Using Four Easy Steps
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI've tried using Adipex and it works for me. I purchased it online in www.medsheaven.com
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think that's just because you need more energy from food when you get less from sleep.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSource: http://www.fitclick.com/weight_loss_tips
Well, you do "technically" lose weight while you sleep. Your metabolism slows down, but you are still burning calories. If you must eat before you go to bed, eat very little. I actually prefer to drink before bed instead of eating, lots of water and maybe an apple. Apples and bananas are very filling and soak up lots of water. A glass of water or two with a banana or an apple will fill you right up. The food is easy for the body to process, healthy and promotes better sleep. As opposed to something sugary or filled with caffine.
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Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLack of Sleep>Stress>body produces Cortisol to fight stress>Cortisol Pros and Cons
Pros
1. Increase your alertness and energy level
-no wonder we feel hyper active sometimes when we lack of sleep
2. Glucose production increases to help the body produce more energy
3. Body dsnt feel hunger
-if you feel this a good point, i will explain later how this tend to ruin fast free weight lose
4.Cortisol activates carbohydrates and fat to produce more energy
The above good points are what cortisol can make during stress attempts to enter our system or the moment our brain sensed any stress coming our way.source <a href=" http://healthyweightlossways.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><strong>healthy weight loss </strong> </a>