How sleep affects your fat loss goals

Losing weight while you sleep sounds a bit crazy but substantial medical research suggests interesting links between weight loss and sleep. Research has shown that both the amount and the quality of sleep we get directly effect our hormones and in turn this can seriously effect our appetite.

The hormones leptin and ghrelin work together to control our feelings of hunger and satiety. Ghrelin stimulates appetite while leptin sends signals to our brain to tell us that we are full. So how does this relate to sleep? When we don’t get enough sleep or good quality sleep, our ghrelin levels sharply rise telling us that we are hungry and our leptin levels drive down meaning we don’t feel satisfied after we eat. This combination leads to a response of massive overeating of which tends to be from carbohydrates and calorie dense foods.

In a joint study between the University of Stanford and the University of Wisconsin, approximately 1000 individuals reported the amount of hours they slept. Doctors then measured both their ghrelin and leptin levels and charted their weight. What they found was a clear relation between those who slept the least had the highest amount of body fat verses those who slept the most had the least.

If you have ever had a crappy night sleep I am sure you would have had that feeling of hunger and never feeling full no matter how much you ate. In our next article I plan to share some top tips on getting a full nights sleep so this never happens again.