The Health Benefits of Getting Plenty of Sleep

We all know we feel better after a good night’s sleep.

But why?

The Center for Disease Control states that more than 35% of people are sleep deprived, meaning they get less than seven hours of sleep per night. A Harvard Medical study notes “sleep plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory, learning, and other vital functions.”

In other words, we feel better after a good night’s sleep because our bodies are designed with a need for deep sleep in order to function well.

If you’re trying to lose weight, sleep becomes even more important. While the obvious benefits of improved mood, spurred creativity, and sharper attention are all great reasons to sleep more, many people overlook how sleep affects diet and weight loss.

Sleep Controls Food Cravings

There’s a simple reason fast food chains stay open all night long. Fatigue makes your body crave high-calorie, high-fat foods, and Taco Bell has the fix. In an article on Health.com, David Rapoport, MD, director of the NYU Sleep Disorders Program, says, “Sleep and metabolism are controlled by the same sectors of the brain. When you are sleepy, certain hormones go up in your blood, and those same hormones drive appetite.”

Leptin and ghrelin are “hunger hormones” and when you are sleep deprived, their proper use gets disrupted. Ghrelin stimulates hunger while leptin suppresses it by keeping those fat cells in check. When you are tired, your body produces more ghrelin and less leptin. So you feel hungry enough to eat a big burrito at midnight.

Which of course doesn’t help your weight loss.

Sleep Gets You Ready for the Gym

No one feels like working out when tired. Sleep deprivation means you just want to rest, but then you get behind and find yourself staying up late again. The next day you’re still too tired to hit the gym and you gave in to those late night food cravings. Not only is your sleep deprivation sabotaging your metabolism, but your ability to psych yourself up for a workout is compromised as well.

The answer is not merely getting to bed earlier, but also achieving a deep night’s sleep so your body is fully rested and ready for a workout as well as the recovery after.

Sleep Improves Inflammation

Inflammation, the swelling of joints and tightening in muscles that makes everyday movements painful and difficult, actually goes down when you are getting enough sleep. People who get six or fewer hours of sleep a night have higher blood levels of inflammatory proteins than those who sleep longer, according to research. By getting more rest, and treatment if you suffer from a disorder such as sleep apnea, you should see a decrease in inflammation in your body.

Weight loss surgery can help with these disorders as well because, often, the excess weight is putting pressure on your joints and causing some of your sleep issues.

Sleep Improves Memory and Decision Making

While decision fatigue is prevalent in our busy lives these days, often that struggle comes from brain fatigue because you lack sleep. Getting a full night’s rest will improve your ability to process new ideas, which is why plentiful sleep is encouraged among school-age students. But sleep’s advantages extend throughout our adult lives as well.

When rested, you are able to think more clearly. Your decisions will be less emotionally biased. For weight loss patients, this will help you make wise choices for food and workouts.

Sleep Is Not a Luxury

So go ahead, get to bed earlier or rise later. Sleep is not an indulgence in your life. Sleep is a necessity to have a long, full life with less pain, clearer thinking, and improved weight loss.