Sleep has numerous benefits on our physical and mental health. Explaining that a good night's sleep helps to lose weight and maintain the ideal weight, Yataş Sleep Board Member Doctor Dietitian Çağatay Demir explains the relationship between sleep and weight in the light of scientific research.
The relationship between sleep and weight control has been known for a long time. It is often stated that a good night's sleep, in addition to its health benefits, also helps to lose weight and maintain an ideal weight. Studies conducted for many years have determined that adults who sleep less than 6 hours and children who sleep less than 10 hours are at risk of being overweight. Yataş Sleep Board Member, Doctor Dietitian Çağatay Demir states that studies carried out today reveal that this connection between sleep and weight control is actually stronger than previously thought.
Those who sleep less consume more carbohydrates
Dr. dit. In this context, Demir describes a 16-week sleep experiment conducted on 2 healthy men and women at the University of Colorado: “The subjects were taken to special rooms where their metabolism, the oxygen they consumed and the carbon dioxide they produced were monitored. Every food they ate was recorded and their sleeping hours were precisely determined. The aim was to show how insufficient sleep can affect a person's weight, behavior, and physiology even over a one-week period. Researchers first detected a metabolic spike in people who stayed up late and slept less than 6 hours, consuming an average of 111 calories more per day. However, despite the increase in calorie expenditure, the group that slept less ate much more than the group that slept 9 hours a day. And this behavioral change made the low-sleeper group gain an average of 1 pound at the end of the first week. During the second week, the group that was initially put to sleep for 9 hours was put to sleep for 5 hours; The group, which was initially put to sleep for 5 hours, was also put to sleep for 9 hours. It was determined that the group who slept little and gained weight in the first week lost some of the weight they gained when they started to get enough sleep. According to Kenneth Wright, director of the university's sleep lab, sleeping less not only increases the amount of food a person eats, it also changes the quality of the food they eat. Accordingly, people tend to consume more carbohydrates when they sleep less. The hours that these people eat during the day, that is, their diets are also changing. People who sleep less are more likely to eat smaller breakfasts and get their main calories in the evening, especially after dinner. The calories they consume in snacks after dinner can exceed the calories they consume in all other meals of the day.”
Insufficient sleep ages fat cells by 20 years
Yataş Sleep Board Member Dr. Dyt Çağatay Demir points out that people who sleep less in general consume 6 percent more calories. Stating that people who sleep less start to eat healthier and consume less carbohydrates and less fat when they sleep more, Dr. dit. Demir says that according to studies, a person's biological clock changes due to lack of sleep, and the reason why they eat little or no breakfast in the morning is also related to this.
Saying that insufficient sleep also changes the biology of fat cells, Dr. dit. Demir explains this change as follows: “In a study conducted at the University of Chicago, the transition of subjects from 8,5 hours of sleep to 4,5 hours of sleep was monitored. At the end of the 4th night, when the participants slept little, the sensitivity of the fat cells to the hormone insulin decreased, and metabolic changes associated with diabetes and obesity were observed. According to research, sleeping less metabolically ages fat cells by 20 years. Another study of 68 middle-aged American women over a 16-year period at the Harvard Community Health Center's Obesity Prevention Unit found that people who slept 5 or less hours were 7 percent more likely to be obese than those who slept 15 or more. ”
People who sleep less than 6 hours eat irregularly
Noting that insufficient sleep can also affect hormones that control hunger, Dr. dit. Demir states that, according to a small-scale study conducted in 2004, the levels of "ghrelin", which is called the hunger hormone and increases appetite, increase and the levels of the satiety hormone "leptin" decrease in young men who are exposed to little sleep. Reminding that people who stay up late have much more time to eat than people who sleep at night, they consume more calories during the day, Dr. dit. Demir said, “A study with Japanese workers; It revealed that workers who slept less than 6 hours were more likely to eat out, eat at irregular intervals, and snack more than people who slept more than 6 hours. In addition, people who do not get enough sleep feel more tired during the day, which causes reluctance for physical activity. Therefore, it is known that these people are less active and gain weight more easily. In addition, in laboratory studies, it was determined that the body temperature of people who slept less was lower. This decrease can lead to a decrease in energy expenditure. Good and adequate sleep may not completely solve the problem of obesity, but paying attention to sleep habits can help people control their weight.
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