Sleep and Weight Gain | Get Good Sleep | Sleep and Weight Loss

Sleep and Weight:

Researchers have found that sleep deprivation plays havoc with the hormones which in turn puts your body into the starvation mode. A hormone called “Ghrelin”, also referred to as the Hunger Hormone is responsible for causing hunger pangs, whilst another hormone “Leptin”, communicates to the brain when to stop eating.

Studies suggest that inadequate sleep results in increase in the levels of the hunger hormone with a concurrent decrease in the level of “Leptin”.  Apparently this causes the body to crave for more food and the brain doesn’t ask the body to stop eating.
People who are deprived of sleep opt for high calorie, sweet, salty and starchy foods. The American Thoracic Society Inter Conference held in San Diego, California, reported a study which stated that women who don’t get adequate sleep are much more likely to put on up to 15 kilograms of weight over 16 years. This likelihood is up to 30% more when compared to women who manage to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
Victor Uebele part of the Merck Research Labs, West Point, has conducted studies on mice to review the relationship between weight and sleep.  As per the study, there is adequate evidence in support of the association.  The team found that T-type calcium channels regulate body weight maintenance and sleep in mice. This has made it explicit that in some cases irregular sleep causes increased weight gain while in other cases inappropriate diet affects sleep patterns. Melatonin is the primary hormone involved in sleep regulation. It is a natural sleep-inducing compound. In fact, melatonin determines our “sleep- wake cycle”, also called the circadian rhythms. Melatonin is manufactured by the Essential Amino acid- ‘tryptophan’. Hence is it recommended that you hike your intake of milk, cottage cheese, eggs, chicken, soy, tofu, nuts especially almonds, as they are rich in tryptophan.

Diet for Good Sleep:

• Refined carbohydrates (white flour) and Sugar interferes with your sleep. Avoid them.
• Eating a diet high in refined carbohydrates coupled with irregular eating habits tends to cause a response in our body which triggers the ‘flight’ or ‘fight’ part of our nervous system (also called the autonomic nervous system) resulting in wakefulness.

How to Get Good Night Sleep:

• Never go to bed hungry: Have some light snack  a couple of hours before hitting the sack. This is important as it helps the body to relax faster.
• Exercise atleast 3 hours before bedtime: Exercising too close to bedtime can alter sleep patterns. Exercise tends to raise the level of body’s mental rate and alertness level.
• Have a warm bath before going to bed: After a warm bath, the body temperature gradually drops once you get out of the tub, making you feel tired and sleepy.
• Adequate and a good night’s sleep is an essential part of your weight loss plan. However, having the best of sleep with a terrible diet won’t help you lose weight. Make sure you eat right and ensure that you have an effective exercise pogramme at least 4-5 times a week.

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