Sudden weight gain? It could be due to lack of sleep

Why do I gain weight even though I don’t feel like I’m eating much?

Why do we work so hard running, doing aerobics, and skipping rope?

No weight loss at all?

Do you often ask yourself

Which link went wrong?

Now, think carefully about this.

Have you been staying up late lately?

Is it because the cell phone or TV series are so good?

Causes you to sleep later and later

If yes

So, you failed to lose weight and gained weight

Maybe it's due to lack of sleep.

Why does less sleep make you fat?

A 2017 Korean study found that, after taking other factors into account, the fat mass index of people who sleep less than 7 hours increases as their sleep time decreases, and their risk of obesity is 1.22 times that of people who sleep 7 hours. Chinese scholars have also found that people who sleep ≤ 6 hours have a significant increase in weight.

Lack of sleep will reduce basal metabolism. Studies have shown that if you stay up all night without sleeping, your basal metabolism will drop by 5% the next day, and your metabolic rate after eating will drop by 20%, resulting in a reduction in metabolic consumption. Long-term lack of sleep will also cause fatigue, mental depression and other symptoms, which will affect insulin secretion over time and inhibit fat decomposition, resulting in weight gain.

Image source: Xiaoshan Disease Control Center

Lack of sleep affects hormone secretion. Dong Xiaosong, chief physician of the Department of Sleep Medicine at Peking University People's Hospital (Respiratory), said that if you don't get enough sleep, cortisol will continue to maintain a high level of secretion, and this abnormal secretion may lead to overeating. Other studies have found that lack of sleep leads to overweight and obesity, which may be related to the imbalance between leptin and ghrelin. Insufficient sleep time will reduce serum leptin levels, increase ghrelin levels, increase hunger and appetite, and increase the intake of cholesterol and saturated fatty acids.

Lack of sleep can increase people’s appetite. Data shows that people who lack sleep eat 22% more calories a day than those who get enough sleep! This may be because lack of sleep weakens the activity of the frontal lobe of the brain, which in turn weakens our self-control, making it more obvious to be disturbed by food, and making it easier to overeat.

Image source: Photo Network

What effects does long-term lack of sleep have on the body?

Endocrine disorders. Sleep time is the golden time for secreting many important hormones, such as thyroid hormones, sex hormones, melatonin, etc.

Low thyroid hormone levels can cause the skin to become dry and rough, affect body temperature regulation, and lead to myxedema, etc. Insufficient secretion of sex hormones can make the skin condition worse, and increase the risk of gynecological diseases such as ovarian cysts, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and breast hyperplasia. Melatonin is an important hormone for the body's antioxidant function. If melatonin cannot be secreted, it may cause premature aging of the human body.

Image source: Xiaoshan Disease Control Center

Hindering human metabolism. 9pm to 1am is the most critical time for the human immune system. In the sleep state, phagocytes will actively devour necrotic tissues, metabolize, and excrete necrotic tissues and metabolic products from the body. If you don't have a good sleep state during this period, it will affect your own metabolism.

Reduced immunity and brain damage. Lack of sleep will reduce the phagocytic ability of white blood cells, causing abnormalities in the body's immune cells. If the immune system cannot function properly, the body will not be able to resist bacteria, viruses, cancer cells, etc., allowing diseases to take advantage of the opportunity to enter. At the same time, lack of sleep will also damage the body's cognitive function, making people forgetful, dazed, and unable to concentrate, which is very harmful to learning and work efficiency.

How can we have high-quality sleep?

Everyone has a different optimal sleep time. Some people can be energetic all day after sleeping for 6 hours, while others must sleep for 8 hours, otherwise they will feel listless. Finding the optimal sleep time that suits you and going to bed according to your habit every day will help improve your sleep quality.

Image source: Cangzhou People's Hospital Information

It is not advisable to smoke or drink a lot at night. Studies have found that alcohol consumption in adults interacts with reduced sleep time, increasing the risk of abnormal blood sugar. People who smoke, especially those who smoke at night, have longer sleep latency, more awakenings, poorer sleep quality, and shorter sleep time. It is recommended not to smoke and limit alcohol consumption, especially before going to bed, to obtain healthy sleep and optimal metabolic regulation.

Image source: Photo Network

It is not advisable to eat 2 hours before going to bed. After eating, the blood circulation in the stomach will increase, and other tissues and organs will also be affected. In particular, it will stimulate the brain, causing symptoms of excitement in the brain, which will make it difficult to fall asleep quickly.

Create a good sleeping environment. When you fall asleep, the temperature and humidity of the bedroom should be appropriate. The bedroom should also be kept in good sanitary conditions and ensure smooth air circulation. Keep quiet at night, draw the curtains, use comfortable sleeping products, and relieve anxiety and stress. A comfortable sleeping environment is conducive to deep sleep.

Image source: Photo Network

Set a fixed sleep time. Everyone has their own biological rhythm. Only by finding your own biological clock can you get high-quality sleep. There is no unified standard for what time to go to bed, but it is generally recommended that everyone go to bed at 10-11 pm. You can set a sleep alarm to remind yourself every night that "it's time to go to bed"!

References:

Lack of sleep and irregular sleep may really make people fat[N]. Science and Technology Daily, 2022-08-17(008).

Lack of sleep may increase the risk of obesity. Nature's sub-journal summarizes several strategies for improving sleep[J]. Science Grand View Garden, 2022(22):34-35.

Science Popularization China, Health Times, Xiaoshan Disease Control, Cangzhou People's Hospital Information, etc.

Compiled by: Liu Xuejie

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Editor: Guru