How Insufficient sleep leads to obesity: A study

Questions like “does insufficient sleep lead to obesity?” or “If sleep has any role at all to play in weight gain?” do not have straight answers.

It’s a fact that bulky meals regulate sleep. Earlier our ancestors used to consume large quantities of food as they had enough time at their disposal to sleep. During sleep, the body emits great amount of growth hormone. Children are said to grow during sleep thus requiring large amounts of nutrients. If hunger reaches a level of starvation, it sure can affect sleep. That’s why our ancestors were particular about consuming some food before sleeping.

It is equally a fact that sleep reduces the feeling of hunger. That’s the reason why we do not usually get up in the middle of the night to eat. The hormone orexin or hypocretin plays a crucial role in regulating sleep cycles.

It is further interesting to note how obesity contributes to apnea, thus making it highly difficult for people to enjoy a sound sleep. People with moderate to severe obesity usually suffer from Pickwikian syndrome, a recognized form of sleep apnea.

Hormones, sleep, and weight are closely associated to one another. Adipocytes or the fat cells release leptin to the bloodstream to indicate the amount of fat stored in the body. This is in a way a natural appetite suppressor of the body. Similarly, the body emits ghrelin to indicate that the stomach is empty.

Lack of sleep affects the function of leptin and ghrelin. Insufficient sleep decreases the leptin level and increases the ghrelin levels in the blood plasma. These hormones when faced with sleep loss can forward powerful signal to the body that it is undergoing an energy deficit and thus make you crave for more food.

Scientists have managed to establish a definite link between sleep and body weight. A particular gene in the body that is controlled by circadian clock regulates the sleeping and waking pattern. The very same gene is also responsible for contributing to fat deposits in the body.

Bottom line – Ignoring sleep and trying to pay attention to all other aspects of weight loss may not yield satisfactory or healthy results.