How Not Getting Enough Sleep Can Hinder Weight Loss - Copare

How Not Getting Enough Sleep Can Hinder Weight Loss

Cōpare, we focus on getting the right macronutrients, not calorie reduction, along with getting plenty of physical activity. While that’s the foundation for losing weight and keeping it at bay, shedding pounds is more complex than it sounds.

Losing weight may seem simple, but success in doing so relies on various puzzle pieces falling into place. The amount and quality of your sleep are one of those factors. Find out how not getting enough shut-eye can curtail your weight loss efforts.

Increases snacking

A poor night’s sleep messes with hormones responsible for controlling how hungry you feel. Your body has a complex energy balance system designed to make sure you take in just the right number of calories for your daily needs. When you’re deprived of shut-eye, the reward circuits of your brain get thrown out of whack, and the desire for unhealthy snacks increases.

Before you know it, you’re making exceptions to your healthy diet and munching on junk foods. You’re more likely to reach for a high-carb snack than a nutritious one when you’ve racked up a sleep debt.

Slows calorie burn

Skimping on sleep has a direct impact on how many calories you burn. Research shows that when you diet, not getting enough Z’s can reduce your fat-burning capacity by a whopping 50%. Dieters who get the recommended eight hours of sleep lose more weight than those who slack on slumber.

Skimping on snooze time increases ghrelin, a hormone that not only boosts appetite but is shown to slow down fat burning. Simply put, an increase in ghrelin makes it harder to slim down.

Promotes fat storage

It turns out, even your fat cells need rest. Skimping on sleep decreases the function of fat cells by significantly reducing their response to insulin, a hormone that regulates energy. Depriving yourself of sleep has a direct influence on insulin sensitivity. When fat cells become insensitive to insulin, you’re more likely to store extra energy as fat, instead of burning it. What’s more, over time, insulin resistance increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

The bottom line is that lagging on slumber makes you hungrier, throws your hormones out of whack and shutters your metabolism. Make getting a solid eight hours of sleep a priority, and keep in mind that your hormones operate on an internal clock. That means the time you go to sleep is just as important. Staying up too late is just as problematic.

Visit our team at Cōpare. We do not provide customized exercise plans or a customized meal plan to help shed pounds, our team has the tools to get the results you deserve. Call us today to schedule a consultation.

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