Sleep Can Help with Weight Loss
There is no doubt that sleep is important for your health. Recent research has shown that sleep- quality and quantity, may affect your weight as well. While it is a known fact that hormones are affected by sleep, researchers are looking into the effects of these hormones on appetite.
Leptin and ghrelin are two hormones that work together to balance your appetite. Ghrelin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract and works to stimulate appetite. Leptin is produced in fat cells and sends signals to the brain when you are full.
How does sleep fall into play? When you don't get enough sleep, the level of ghrelin in the body tends to rise, causing appetite to be stimulated. Lack of sleep also causes leptin levels to go down, making you feel unsatisfied after you eat. The combination of lack of sleep coupled with its effect on hormones can lead the way to weight gain.
In a joint study between Stanford and the University of Wisconsin, 1,000 volunteers logged the number of hours they slept each night. Their levels of leptin and ghrelin were then taken and their weight was charted. This study showed that those who slept less than eight hours a night had low levels of leptin and high levels of ghrelin. More interesting is the level of body fat measured from these volunteers. Those who slept 8 or more hours per night had a lower level of body fat than those who slept less than 8, with those who slept the fewest hours weighing the most.
It is also important to remember that each person's individual response to these hormones are different. Eating and exercise habits, your environment, stress levels, and genetics may all influence production of leptin and ghrelin as well as our response to them.