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The Sleep-Weight Connection

Nina Ghamrawi, MS, RD, CDE
May 10, 2023
May 11, 2023
3

Ever get less than 6 hours of sleep per night? Well, it’s actually pretty common. But what you may not realize is that lack of sleep affects more than just our energy and mental processing.

What Does the Research Say?

Sleep Depravation Causes Cravings: Research suggests that, sleeping four hours a night, compared with 10 hours a night, appears to increase our hormones regulating hunger — ghrelin and leptin. These hormones increase our sensation of hunger, and make us less sensitive to the feeling of fullness. In particular, we become more likely to crave higher calorie, high carbohydrate, and more processed foods. Observational studies also suggest a link between sleep restriction and obesity. Other studies have found similar patterns in children and adolescents.

Not Enough Sleep Makes Us Slower: Another contributing factor might be that lack of sleep leads to fatigue and results in less physical activity. Who wants to work out when you’re tired? So if you are a new parent, or have trouble sleeping at night due to work, a medical condition or lack of routine, then this may make controlling your weight more difficult.

Inadequate Sleep Leads to Mistakes: Forgetting to do basic tasks when you are tired? Well, this forgetfulness, or brain fog, may lead to a less efficient day. That may result in not having time for cooking, forgetting a healthy diet staple at the store, or exhaustion and cutting corners when cooking.

Overall, a lack of sleep can make us more tired, hungry, sedentary, and crave more junk. Down the road, it can also lead to a poor circadian rhythm, a sleep cycle that is completely abnormal, and a messed up metabolism that takes weeks or months to get back on track. Don’t sacrifice sleep. Seek help from your provider or a health coach to help with troubleshooting your sleep issues.

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