Sleep for weight loss: Exercise and diet is on one end of the spectrum, and simple lifestyle changes are on the other. Sleep is extremely important for your fitness goals, here's how.
Poor sleep can make you feel fatigued throughout the day
HIGHLIGHTS
- Sleeping sufficiently can increase the intensity of your workout
- Poor sleep can induce cravings
- Your body might become less sensitive to insulin because of lack of sleep
In times of extreme stress, work and ambition, sleep is a treasured and rare commodity. We usually make do with limited sleep through the week, and try to make up for it over the weekend. Its not the healthiest way, but its the only way you'll average out the required 7-8 hours a day. What if we told you that sleeping well can not only making you brighter and wiser, but also fitter. Its true, sleeping well enough, can help you become the fittest version of yourself.
Also read: Sleep Well To Cut Appetite For Sweet, Salty Food
Here are some of the ways in which sleeping well makes you fitter:
1.Poor sleep linked to weight gain: There is sufficient research which suggests that poor sleeping habits increase the likelihood of obesity in an individual. Additionally, this gives rise to a vicious cycle. If your sleeping habits are poor, and you gain weight because of it. The additional weight makes it harder for you to fall asleep, and may worsen your sleep cycle further, leading to a potential exponential rise in weight.
2. More energy to perform workouts: If you sleep sufficiently at night, you won't feel drowsy throughout the day. Your body will be well rested, and you will have sufficient energy to complete an intense workout despite having a long 8+ hour workday.
Sleeping well provides you with the energy to exercise
Photo Credit: iStock
Also read: Many Teens Sleep With Their Phones, Just Like Their Parents; Know The Hazards
3. Poor sleep increases cravings: Not sleeping enough reduces your brain's ability to make well thought out decisions, as it gets tired too quickly. This makes it difficult to resist temptations, and make healthier choices. Additionally, sleep impacts two hunger hormones i.e. ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is responsible for signalling hunger, while leptin for signalling being satiated. A lack of sleep increases ghrelin and reduces leptin, increasing your appetite and making you want to eat more. This increases your calorie intake, and you can say goodbye to your weight loss goals.
4. Poor sleep decreases your resting metabolism: When you sleep, your body burns off some calories. If you have poor sleeping habits, then your resting metabolic rate reduces. This is the rate at which your body burns off calories when sleeping. So, even sleep no longer is as effective for you, if you make a habit out of poor sleep itself. In addition, poor sleep routines, may cause your body to burn off muscle instead of fat, which again is detrimental.
Also read: Less Than 7 Hours Of Sleep Bad For Your Heart
5. Sleeping helps prevent insulin resistance: Within a couple of days of insufficient sleep, your body loses a part of its ability to process insulin. Insulin is an extremely important hormone, as it is vital in using sugar, starch and other food items to produce energy. Your body becomes less sensitive to insulin and responds poorly to it. This makes it difficult to process fats, and leaves it untreated and adds to your body weight by getting stored in the bloodstream.
6. Sleep sabotages workout time: Not sleeping enough during the night causes you to feel the urge to sleep during the day. The first option is that you give in to this urge and fall asleep, cutting into the time you could be working out or exercising. The other option is that you brave it out, and go for a workout. Here too, you won't be able to workout to the best of your ability, and reduce your own efficiency. So, either way you aren't going full speed on the path toward fitness.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
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