How Sleep can help Weight Loss

So, there are a lot of myths around about helping people when in weight loss phases or training cycles.  Simon Wissmann, our Accredited Exercise Physiologist has put some of the science that sits behind sleep and weight loss!

Weight loss: why not sleeping enough stops you from losing more

  1. Munchies

One recent study showed that restricting sleep to 4.5 hrs a night for just 4 days caused an increase in circulating endocannabinoid levels of 33%. Endocannabinoids are what make you hungry when marijuana is ingested but are also released when you don’t sleep enough. So, sleeping less than the recommended amount is giving you the munchies!

  1. Hormones

Two hormones control hunger in humans. Leptin and Ghrelin. Leptin makes you feel full and Ghrelin makes you hungry. A large study including over 1000 participants found that chronically sleeping 5 hrs a night lead to a 15.5% reduction in Leptin and a 14.9% increase in Ghrelin vs sleeping 8 hrs a night. One study showed that just one night of 4 hrs of sleep caused an increase in food intake the next day of nearly 600 calories vs 8hrs of sleep.

  1. Increased fat storage

Sleep helps regulate Cortisol. Cortisol promotes the storage of fat and drives the body to use other soft tissues such as muscle for energy. In a 2 week study 2 groups of subjects were given the same restricted diet, 10% energy deficit vs output. One group slept for 5.5 hrs a night and the other for 8.5 hrs. The group that slept for 8.5 hrs lost 1.4 kilograms of fat and 1.5 kilograms of other tissue. The group that slept 5.5 hrs lost only 0.6 kilogram of fat but 2.4 kilograms of other tissue.

  1. Insulin

Insulin resistance is a major risk factor towards developing diabetes, a leading health problem in Australia and the western world. A study where subjects were allowed only 4 hrs of sleep for 6 nights resulted in the participants ability to reduce their blood sugar levels by 40%. This shows that only a few short nights in a row can have serious detrimental effects on weight loss ability.

 

How much sleep should you be getting?

The National Sleep Foundation recommends the following:

  1. Children aged 3-5 years 10-13hrs
  2. Children aged 6-13 years 9-11hrs
  3. Children aged 14-17 years 8-10hrs
  4. Adults aged 18-25 years 7-9hrs
  5. Adults aged 26-64 years 7-9hrs
  6. Adults aged 65 and older 7-8hrs.

Sleep tip

If for example you currently get 6 hrs of sleep a night, try going to bed 30 minutes earlier till your body adjusts then add another 30 minutes until you get to your goal amount.

So, there are some FACTS about sleep and weight loss!  Important information for people to know especially if you are trying to lose weight and its not working.  Sleep may be a factor in the reasons why not for you.

For an appointment with Simon, you can contact 4927 8190, or simon@vectorhealth.stagingarea.net

Diabetes Exercise Program

Vector Health and Performance has a Diabetes Exercise Program, coordinated by Simon. If you have diabetes Type II or know anyone who does, to find out more please click on the link below.

Diabetes Exercise Program

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