Today, being healthy is more important than ever, and if your goal is to get fit and toned, getting enough sleep is crucial. A 2023 study revealed that insufficient sleep not only contributes to weight gain but also leads to the loss of lean muscle tissue. Without adequate sleep, the chemicals that tell your brain you’re full don’t work properly, leading to overeating.
Understanding the Link Between Sleep and Weight
Sleep significantly affects two key hormones related to hunger:
- Leptin: Signals to the brain that you’re full.
- Ghrelin: Signals to the brain that you’re hungry.
Lack of sleep skews these hormones, increasing ghrelin and decreasing leptin, which often results in nighttime snacking. Moreover, inadequate sleep can lower your resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is the number of calories your body burns at rest.
Sleep and Muscle
Lack of sleep can make you too tired to exercise. Since exercise is crucial for building muscle and burning calories, missing out can hinder your fitness goals. Athletes often supplement their diet with protein to support muscle repair and growth, which primarily occurs during sleep. Here’s what happens while you sleep:
- The pituitary gland releases growth hormone (GH).
- GH stimulates the production of insulin-like growth factor (IGF).
- IGF helps move carbs into muscle cells, providing the energy needed to utilize amino acids.
- Amino acids repair and build new muscle tissue.
Sleep and Nutrition
Healthy eating choices significantly affect both your workout performance and sleep quality. Opt for fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and vegetable oils, which enhance sleep quality. Foods that boost brain chemicals like melatonin and serotonin are particularly beneficial for sleep. Low levels of these chemicals can lead to insomnia.
Foods that aid sleep include:
- Tart cherries, bananas, pineapples, oranges, and kiwis: These contain melatonin, which improves sleep.
- Foods high in lean protein: Contain tryptophan, which increases serotonin levels.
Avoid white, refined carbs, and high-sugar foods as they can decrease serotonin levels and impair sleep.
5 Ways to Improve Sleep
- Meditate: Helps relax the mind and clear the clutter of thoughts that may prevent sleep.
- Decrease stress: Alleviating stress improves both mental and physical health.
- Turn off electrical devices: Shut off TVs and phones at least 30 minutes before bedtime to enhance sleep quality.
- Exercise daily: Including core workouts in your routine can tire the body, promoting better and longer sleep.
- Make healthy eating choices: Opt for foods that are low in sugar but high in fiber and nutrients.
When you sleep, your body is hard at work repairing and rebuilding. Thus, disruptions in your sleep can interrupt these essential processes. If you suffer from sleep disorders like sleep apnea, using a CPAP machine can be beneficial.
Most adults need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. By exercising and making healthier food choices, your body and mind will function better, helping you feel more vibrant, energetic, and focused in your daily life. Indeed, “getting your beauty sleep” is not just a saying—it’s a key part of staying fit and healthy!
