Whether it’s due to sleeplessness, a party, or a big night at work, lack of sleep always causes two things the next day: unwanted yawns and heavy hunger pangs. The problem ? Obviously, your line may be affected. Especially if deprivation is frequent. “Because yes, there is a direct link between weight gain and lack of sleep”, says Juliette Bentz-Farman. Very good, but why?
Hormonal chaos
Know this: a sleepless night or too short has two types of effects on your body: “First of all, he will experience this lack as an aggression. However, when faced with physical or emotional stress, he automatically goes into energy saving mode.” Concretely: your body will try to resist this bad patch by storing as many calories as possible, and above all by ceasing to spend those he assimilates. Mechanically, you gain weight, or lose less if you are on a diet.
But that’s not all : “From a hormonal point of view, ghrelin and leptin are upset. The hormone of satiety is reduced, and that of hunger increases. “ In short, these cravings that push you to multiply trips to the fridge are not psychological. “It’s perfectly explainable physiologically. You don’t eat because you think you need a boost to resist.”
The appetite centers are impacted by the lack of sleep
A 2013 University of California study had already found a link between lack of sleep and weight gain. But also the negative impact of sleep deprivation on the central brain mechanisms governing appetite and food desire. “Sleep deprivation significantly decreases activity in areas of appetitive assessment in the human frontal cortex and the insular cortex during dietary desirability choices, combined with an inverse amplification of activity in the amygdala”, then reported Matthew Walker, one of the co-authors of the study. His team had analyzed the brains of 23 people by MRI (magnetic resonance imaging, after a full night’s sleep and after a night without closing an eye.
“We made another interesting discovery is that the most high-calorie foods were particularly sought after by people deprived of sleep, Matthew Walker continued. All of these findings may potentially explain the link between lack of sleep, weight gain, and obesity.“.
A previous scientific study carried out by doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in the United States, had already shown the negative effects on health of sleep at abnormal hours. Night workers who sleep little and at the wrong time of the day are said to increase their risk of diabetes and being obese, as the repeated lack of sleep disrupts the circadian rhythm (sleep-wake) and has a direct consequence on the levels. low blood sugar.
The solution: slow sugars
However, you still need the energy to get through it before dark. Especially if a day’s work awaits you. The best is therefore, contrary to what one might think, to be wary of fast sugars: “In fact, your body needs gentle energy. You should therefore favor slow sugars, like athletes. A good pasta dish, without too much fat for it to be well digested, will do. And be careful. , therefore, not to eat too light either. “
Then, once the hormonal disorder is more or less regulated, you can then solve your biggest problem: lack of sleep. The solution may be to relax before going to sleep.
Read also:
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