{"id":38658,"date":"2015-03-31T07:15:57","date_gmt":"2015-03-31T11:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=38658"},"modified":"2022-01-20T05:54:54","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T10:54:54","slug":"sleep-deprivation-effects-weight-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/lifestyle\/sleep-deprivation-effects-weight-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to Weight Gain"},"content":{"rendered":"
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Can\u2019t figure out why you\u2019re gaining weight \u2014\u00a0or why it\u2019s so difficult to erase those extra pounds? You might be suffering from sleep deprivation \u2014 even if you swear you\u2019re getting enough sleep at night. In fact, one study<\/a> presented at this year\u2019s Endocrine Society national meeting suggests that getting just 30 fewer minutes sleep than you should<\/a> per weekday can increase your risk of obesity and diabetes.<\/p>\n

Logically, it\u2019s practically impossible to stay committed to a healthy lifestyle if you don\u2019t have the energy<\/a> for it. \u201cIf I\u2019ve gone to bed late or I have a restless night, I’m more likely to turn off my alarm in the morning and skip my workout,\u201d says Paige DePaolis, 24. \u201cIt could be me consciously thinking, \u2018No way am I going to that exercise class,\u2019 or, unconsciously snoozing to the point that it\u2019s too late to make it to the class.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 9 Ways to Fall Asleep Faster, Without Counting Sheep<\/a><\/p>\n

Most of us have been there before. But there are also scientific reasons why a lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain.<\/p>\n

Sleep: Your Body\u2019s Best Friend<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you thought under-eye circles were the worst consequence of skimping on sleep, you\u2019re in for a shock. \u201cSleep is important for pretty much every one of your physical systems,\u201d says Janet K. Kennedy, PhD, clinical psychologist and founder of NYC Sleep Doctor<\/a>. \u201cSleep deprivation leads to deficits in cognitive functioning, whether it\u2019s reaction time, decision-making, or memory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sleep is essential for beyond just what\u2019s going on in your brain<\/a>, too. \u201cSleep is involved in the repair and restoration<\/a> of the body. The rest that happens during sleep really rejuvenates your body for the next day,\u201d says Kennedy.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>15 Gadgets for a Better Night\u2019s Sleep<\/a><\/p>\n

Plus, you might be suffering from the symptoms of sleep deprivation, even if you think <\/em>you\u2019re spending enough time in the sack. \u201cWe used to think you needed a significant amount of sleep deprivation for it to have an effect on weight. It turns out that\u2019s not true,\u201d says Michael Breus<\/a>, PhD, a sleep specialist and author of The Sleep Doctor\u2019s Diet Plan: Lose Weight Through Better Sleep<\/a><\/em>. Just 30 minutes of sleep loss could make you more likely<\/a> to gain.<\/p>\n

Why Sleep Deprivation Causes Weight Gain<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Losing out on sleep creates a viscous cycle in your body, making you more prone to various factors contributing to weight gain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more sleep-deprived you are, the higher your levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which increases your appetite,\u201d says Breus. And it\u2019s not like you\u2019re going to be suddenly ravenous for kale salads<\/a>, either. \u201cFor me, it takes a bit of willpower to choose the salad over the sandwich,\u201d DePaolis says. \u201cWhen I\u2019m tired, I go for whatever\u2019s going to be easy and make me feel better in the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Often, that means reaching for bad-for-you<\/a> foods. \u201cWhen you\u2019re stressed, your body tries to produce serotonin to calm you down. The easiest way to do that is by eating high-fat, high-carb foods that produce a neurochemical reaction,\u201d Breus says.<\/p>\n

A lack of sleep also hinders your body\u2019s ability to process the sweet stuff<\/a>. \u201cWhen you\u2019re sleep deprived, the mitochondria in your cells that digest fuel start to shut down. Sugar remains in your blood, and you end up with high blood sugar,\u201d says Breus. Losing out on sleep can make fat cells 30 percent less able to deal with insulin, according to a study<\/a> in Annals of Internal Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 5 Most Common Sleep Issues (and How to Find Relief)<\/a><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re wiped out, your hormones go a little nuts, too, boosting levels of the ghrelin, which tells you when you\u2019re hungry, and decreasing leptin, which signals satiety. In fact, sleep-deprived participants in one small study of 30 people ate an average of 300 more calories per day, according to research<\/a> in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. <\/em>And a larger study of 225 people found that those who only spent four hours in bed for five consecutive nights gained almost two pounds more than those who were in bed for about 10 hours, over the course of a week.<\/p>\n

One reason you might pack on pounds when you\u2019re sleep deprived is because your body goes into survival mode. Sleeplessness can fool your body into thinking you\u2019re in danger. \u201cYour metabolism<\/a> slows because your body is trying to maintain its resources, and it also wants more fuel,\u201d says Breus. \u201cI would argue that sleep is probably the most important thing a person can do if they’re ready to start a diet and lose weight,\u201d says Breus.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>6 Sleep Myths to Finally Put to Bed<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

How to End Your Cycle of Sleep Deprivation <\/strong><\/h3>\n

“Sleeping isn\u2019t downtime. You\u2019re feeding your body just as you are when you eat.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Luckily, there are easy ways to make sure sleep never gets in between you and your goal weight again. First, figure out your bedtime. Count seven and a half hours before the time you need to wake up, says Breus. That\u2019s your \u201clights out\u201d time, which should ensure you\u2019re getting enough sleep to make your body wake itself up at the proper time (maybe even before an alarm goes off). And keep that wake-up time consistent, Kennedy recommends. \u201cDoing that and getting out of bed at the same time sets your body\u2019s clock so you\u2019ll be tired around the same time every night,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Think Snoring Is Normal? Why Sleep Apnea Shouldn\u2019t Be Ignored<\/a><\/p>\n

If you feel like you\u2019re still having sleep issues, keep a sleep diary that you can take in to a doctor. \u201cTry to really get a sense of what\u2019s going on day-to-day. Record what time you\u2019re going to bed, roughly what time you fall asleep, if you\u2019re waking up in the middle of the night, when you wake up in the morning, and what time you get out of bed,\u201d says Kennedy. Also make sure to jot down other sleep-related markers, like how you feel throughout the day, exercise, caffeine intake, alcohol and stress levels.<\/p>\n

Most important of all, make sleep a priority. \u201cIt\u2019s physically unhealthy to lose sleep. And it\u2019s such an easy fix in theory,\u201d says Kennedy. \u201cIt requires both a behavioral and conceptual shift. Sleeping isn\u2019t downtime. You\u2019re feeding your body just as you are when you eat.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Forget the fad diets. There\u2019s a simple way you can help your body avoid weight gain \u2014 and it starts with getting enough sleep. Here\u2019s how sleep deprivation is hurting your waistline. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":25579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,12,13],"tags":[280,282,341,352,285],"class_list":["post-38658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-mental-health","category-sleep","tag-sleep","tag-stress","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2weight-loss","tag-weight-loss"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}