Sleep is one of the most important foundational aspects to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Sleep is like nutrition for the brain. Most people need between 7 and 9 hours each night.
In 2006 a study that followed more than 68,000 women for 16 years looked at the “Association between Reduced Sleep and Weight Gain in Women”. It found that those who slept five hours or less a night were more likely to gain more weight than those who got seven hours of sleep a night. Insufficient sleep dulls brain activity, specifically in the frontal lobe which is responsible for impulse control and decision making. This can most certainly lead to poor decisions due to a lack of mental clarity when it comes to food choices. In addition to the dampening of the frontal lobe, the brain’s reward center is stimulated when there is a lack of sleep. Stimulation of this area causes a person to look for something to make them feel good and this is often sugar and carbohydrate laden foods that feel comforting.
A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when people were starved of sleep, late-night snacking increased, and they were more likely to choose high-carb snacks. In fact, a review of 18 studies revealed that a lack of sleep led to increased cravings for high carbohydrate foods.
There are 2 very important hormones that control our appetite center and a lack of sleep can cause an imbalance in these hormones leading to weight gain and/or weight resistance. Sleep deprivation increases a hormone called ghrelin which triggers appetite and decreases one called leptin which signals that you are full.
Leptin and Ghrelin are secreted in the peripheral areas of the body, but their effects are directly on the brain. Leptin’s effect is to decreases hunger and it is secreted primarily in fat cells as well as the stomach, heart, placenta and skeletal muscle. The amount of Leptin in the body strongly correlates with the amount of fat as it is produced by adipose tissue (fat tissue). Leptin communicates with the hypothalamus which is located in the brain that we are full and then that message will be sent down to the stomach. Once the message has been received, we stop eating. There is also some research to show that Leptin may also increase the metabolism.
It would therefore seem that the more fat mass a person has, then more corresponding Leptin would be produced. Seemingly, this would be a benefit as the person would have a decreased appetite and a higher metabolic rate resulting in weight loss. However, most often something called Leptin Resistance develops. This resistance causes the brain to ignore the increasing amounts of Leptin trying to signal the hypothalamus and the result is communication breakdown. Therefore, the metabolism is slowed, the hunger is stimulated, and weight gain continues.
Ghrelin, discovered 7 years after Leptin, increases hunger and is secreted primarily in the lining of the stomach. The function of Ghrelin is shorter acting than its counterpart Leptin as it is only high right before eating to stimulate hunger and is then decreased after a meal. Ghrelin also acts on the hypothalamus which then communicates that you are hungry.
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Klok MD, Jakobsdottir S, Drent ML. The role of leptin and ghrelin in the regulation of food intake and body weight in humans: a review. Obes Rev. 2007 Jan;8(1):21-34. Review.
Woods SC. The control of food intake: behavioral versus molecular perspectives. Cell Metab. 2009 Jun;9(6):489-98. Review.
Action Steps for Restoring Sleep
- Get tested. If sleep problems persist, testing can uncover the root causes. The Sleep Balance Profile tests all the hormones involved in creating a healthy sleep. This testing is available through Dr Cobi.
- Consistently maintain regular bedtime and waking up hours as much as possible.
- Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
- Get to bed no later than 11pm. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier each week until you reach no later than 11pm.
- Avoid caffeine consumption (tea, cola, coffee, chocolate) within 4 to 8 hours of bedtime.
- Exercise regularly.
- Avoid daytime naps.
- Avoid eating a meal 3 hour before bedtime (a light snack can help avoid hunger pangs and aid sleep).
- Avoid alcohol as the body metabolizes alcohol while we sleep- even just one ounce within 2 hours of bedtime will disrupt sleep.
- Avoid stressful or noisy distractions while trying to sleep (noisy clocks, bright lights, uncomfortable clothes or bedding).
- Take a relaxing bath with lavender and chamomile aromatherapy added to the bath water.
- Turn the lights down low throughout the house or light candles. Turn off the screens as the electromagnetic rays from computer screens, TVs etc. are very stimulating.
- Make sure your room is as dark as possible. Turn alarm clocks away from your head — use blackout curtains if light is entering through the windows.
- Turn the heat down. Maintaining an average of 21°C (70°F) in the bedroom has been shown to be the best temperature to produce the sleep inducing hormone melatonin.
- Remove clutter. Keep your bedroom as neat and clutter-free as possible.
- If you get up to go to the bathroom during the night, keep the lights off. Any light that enters the iris of the eye can shut down melatonin production.
- Keep a journal. If endless mind chatter is keeping you up, then write down your thoughts or to do lists in a bedside journal to allow your mind to calm down.
- Sleeping with pets or children can be very disruptive for sleep — have them sleep in their own beds.
Try one of the following natural, non-addictive sleep aids to help you to sleep:
- Insomintol Chewable – Take 1-2 capsules before bed
- Melatonin PR (prolonged release) – Take 1-2 capsules before bed
- Melatonin 10mg with B6 – Dissolve 1 tablet before bed
- Brain Calm – Take 1-2 capsules before bed
- Essential Sleep/Essential Sleep Ultra – Take 1-2 capsules before bed