The hormones we spoke of above are also positively or negatively affected by how much sleep we get. Studies show that sleep loss leads to increased appetite, and, even worse, appetite for high-carbohydrate calorie-dense foods. It was found that people who had only 4 hours of sleep experienced altered blood levels of the two hormones that regulate hunger: leptin and ghrelin. The leptin level dropped and the ghrelin level rose. This is bad news for weight loss.
Another hormone, cortisol, is known as the “stress hormone”. It’s known to be secreted in higher levels during the body’s response to stress. It also increases after inadequate sleep to elevated levels the entire following day. Cortisol causes increased appetite and fat storage.
Too little sleep also suppresses the nighttime release of growth hormone (GH). This decreases fat metabolism, increases fat storage, and decreases lean muscle.
Try to get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep every night. Sleep may be just as important as healthy eating and reasonable exercise to get quick weight loss. It’s also crucial for your health and longevity. Sleep loss is associated with a shortened life span, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.
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