Most of us realize that a healthy diet is important. If we don’t get the nutrients our body needs, we won’t be able to function at peak capacity. However, because of the fact that we are inundated with processed foods (that contain an abundance of calories, fats, and preservatives that we don’t need), many of us are also looking to adopt a diet that is not only healthy for life, but also helps us to shed a few unwanted pounds in the meantime. And of course, along with such a diet usually comes an attendant exercise regimen to speed the process and get our bodies fit. Diet and exercise for improved health and function are just common sense. But did you know that sleep also plays a huge role in your ability to lose weight and remain healthy? If you are neglecting your nightly slumber, then you may not be getting all the benefits of your diet. In fact, you could be cancelling out all your hard work.
Sleep is an activity designed to allow our bodies to heal and recharge. Without it, we will become fatigued, confused, and paranoid, eventually suffering hallucinations and a complete mental breakdown. Luckily, most of us will never reach the most severe stages of sleep loss, but a lot of people still don’t get the amount of sleep they need to function properly. This is most easily seen in a lack of cognitive function. People who suffer a restless night or only get a few hours of shut-eye rather than the eight full hours recommended for adults will find that they are not able to process information as quickly as normal and they may have a difficult time with memorization or recall (not to mention drowsiness throughout the day). Over time, continued sleep loss can lead to more serious side effects, like nodding off at the wheel, for example.
But a lack of sleep also causes a number of unseen symptoms that can impact your life, not the least of which is a shift in the hormones that control your appetite. Your body houses many hormones, but there are two that deal with appetite. Ghrelin is the hormone responsible for making you feel hungry while leptin’s role is to tell your brain when you’re full. They function together to let you know when and how much you should eat. When your sleep pattern is disrupted, the levels of these hormones in your system are not able to reset properly. As a result, they can seriously mess with your diet plan.
For starters, you have excess amounts of ghrelin telling you that you are hungry, even though you’ve already consumed the amount that would normally leave you feeling full. Concurrently, low levels of leptin tell your brain that the food you have eaten is not enough to satisfy your hunger. To this end, you are left feeling hungry and unsatisfied with the amount of food you have eaten, likely leading to increased consumption, and in turn, weight gain (because your body doesn’t really need the food it is craving). And so, a lack of sleep has effectively ruined your diet. Of course, there is a way to combat this phenomenon. If you find yourself staying up late to watch TV, read a book, or get some extra work done, simply change your routine. Getting forty winks is not only good for your brain, as most people assume, it can also maximize the benefits of your diet.
Sarah Danielson writes for All Area Codes where you can easily locate area codes for all cities and states and even browse through the reverse phone directory.
