Increasing Your Sleep Could Help You Lose More Weight, Suggests Research

Is your life all late nights and early starts? Burning the candle at both ends may be hitting your waistline – and not just because you're too exhausted to work out.

Disrupted sleep tips the scales by sending your appetite into overdrive and changing your body's physiological and biochemical responses to food and exercise, according to research by the European Society of Endocrinology.

Naps Are Good For Your Health, says Science

Their sleep-deprived but otherwise healthy test subjects "prefer larger food portions, seek more calories, exhibit increased food-related impulsivity, experience more pleasure from food, and expend less energy," the researchers concluded.

"When feeling tired we rely more on caffeine and refined sugars," explains physiologist and sleep therapist Dr Nerina Ramlakhan. "Tiredness can also lead to comfort eating, particularly late in the evening. In fact, research suggests that people who have difficulty getting to sleep are more likely to delay going to bed at a decent hour and raid the biscuit tin."

If you reckon you can stave off any associated ill-effects with a bit of self-restraint and a meal prepped salad, you couldn't be more wrong. There's a whole bunch of reactions going on behind the scenes that you're powerless to influence.

Missing out on those extra hours "shifts the hormonal balance from hormones that promote fullness, such as GLP-1, to those that promote hunger, such as ghrelin," the European Society of Endocrinology researchers found, and increases appetite-promoting endocannabinoid levels. Yes, like having the munchies.

That's not all, either. 'Acute' sleep loss even alters the balance of your gut bacteria, which is key for maintaining a healthy metabolism.

6 Hours of Sleep Could Lead to Early Death

"Not sleeping enough forces the body into crisis and puts it in survival mode," adds Dr Ramlakhan. "You run on adrenaline, which makes you conserve and store fat – particularly around the middle. The process of breaking down muscles lowers your metabolism, making you gain weight."

The good news? Reversing these ill-effects requires very little effort on your part. In fact, all you have to do is lay down in the dark with your eyes closed. A full night's sleep is "generally accepted to be between seven and eight hours per night," explains strength and conditioning coach Dan Boulle, director of PerformancePro.

"With a good night's sleep, the stress hormone, cortisol is reduced while all the good stuff that aids healing and recovery – such as human growth hormone – floods into your system," he continues. "You also recover more effectively, with less muscle soreness and increased muscle growth," he says.

The more muscle you have, Boulle says, the greater your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which are the calories you burn by simply existing. "In other words, you have a bigger engine, so all day everyday you'll be burning more fuel and aiding improved body composition," he adds.

Getting a full night's kip also improves your athletic performance, because you've got the energy to attack your workout. In a Stanford University study, college basketball players were asked to spend 10 hours in bed each night for five to seven weeks. Not only did their fatigue levels decrease, but their reaction times improved, their accuracy increased, and they became faster.

How to Fall Asleep Fast When Nothing Else Works

You'll also have more willpower to fight cravings and make healthier food choices when it matters the most. Spending eight hours – give or take – in your pit every night regulates your appetite and revs up your resting metabolism. Your body is no longer is crisis mode.

It becomes a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, too. Shedding a kilos thanks to a few healthful dietary choices here and there can improve sleepiness at any weight, a University of Pennsylvania study found. Get a solid night's sleep to dodge the biscuit tin, and you'll be rewarded with even better sleep. Win, win, win.

But, what if you're struggling to drift off? Beyond putting your devices away at night – they are the most common cause of bad sleep habits, says W Christopher Winter, author of The Sleep Solution – it helps to regulate when you go to bed and wake up. Blackout your bedroom windows and take a few slow, deep diaphragmatic breaths. You'll be catching Zzz in no time.

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