Because weight maintenance is so critical in many medical conditions, there are always studies underway. The Annals of Internal Medicine published a report that insufficient sleep will negatively impact any weight reduction in progress. In other words, less than seven hours of sleep nightly can undo the diet program. The individuals who slept over seven hours lost more weight, and over half of that loss was in fat. Those who slept under seven hours saw a 55% reduction in fat loss. Those who slept less felt hungrier and less satisfied after eating. It appears that it is more likely to regain any weight loss if you are sleep-deprived.

Following are some of the findings from that study.

Why are sleep problems and weight loss so closely linked?

Insufficient sleep negatively impacts metabolism and the hormones that control fat cells, hunger, and cravings.

The University of Chicago discovered that four nights of insufficient sleep meant the individual’s insulin sensitivity dropped more than 30%. As this decrease occurs, it triggers fat storage, and that fat is usually stored in less desirable places like the liver. All of this can contribute to Type 2 diabetes. More insulin in the blood makes the person feel more hungry, making weight loss even more difficult.

The two primary hormones that control hunger are leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is produced in the fat cells, and the less produced, the hungrier a person feels. Over-production of ghrelin makes you feel hungrier as well as slowing the metabolism. So, to be successful at losing weight, you need to increase leptin and decrease ghrelin. Less than six hours of sleep at night will cause the opposite to happen.

Cortisol also increases with sleep deprivation. Cortisol is believed to activate the reward centers that cause food cravings. So, the more cortisol, the hungrier you will feel.

Lack of sufficient, good sleep impairs the brain’s frontal lobe. This section controls decision-making, which means poor choices (of food and other issues) and mistakes. Sleep deprivation makes the amygdala increase in activity. This controls the reward center, and we have already shown that it will make you crave food more readily. The insular cortex controls impulses. With that also impaired with insufficient sleep, you are more likely to head for calorie-rich foods rather than nutritious fruits and vegetables.

All this unusual brain activity leads to increased cravings and poor decisions. That means larger portions of the wrong foods.

When you don’t get enough sleep at night, you wake up grumpy and are likely to stay that way all day. Negativity will significantly impact what and when you eat during the day. You will try to cheer yourself up and indulge in comfort food.

As you can tell, sufficient sleep or lack thereof will enormously impact your weight loss program. Plan to get at least seven hours of solid sleep at night for the best results.

Need help with weight loss?

Our experts at Radiant Health work with you to discover what is going on with your body, find imbalances and barriers to weight loss with gut health and hormones and custom design a treatment plan to help you shed those unwanted pounds!

Give our hormone clinic in San Francisco a call today at 415-590-2899.