Sleep May Help You Blast Belly Fat:
By Chef K.T. Murphy
What if I told you one of the biggest things stopping you from losing your unsightly belly bulge is your inability to put yourself on a good sleep schedule? Now, let me change how I word that. If you sleep more, you will lose that stubborn belly fat. How? Well, it may sound complicated at first, but with a little explaining, I’m going to show you why sleep should be the first thing you change when trying to blast belly fat.
Sleep Affects Two Key Body Systems
According to an article published in Medscape Neurology, sleep regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary axes. The pituitary is like the master switch for all of the endocrine glands. The pituitary is controlled by the hypothalamus and two key hormones are activated during sleep (growth hormone and releasing hormone).
Sleep also affects the autonomic nervous system and its ability to function. Sleep loss will elevate what’s called the sympathovagal balance. Most endocrine organs (think hormones) are very sensitive to this sympathovagal balance. Some things that can be affected by this are insulin secretion, leptin release, and increases in ghrelin.
What Do Insulin, Ghrelin, and Leptin Have To Do With My Weight?
Now we know about the three key hormones that are affected by sleep loss. These hormones are directly related to the body’s ability to use energy as well as signal hunger and fullness.
The insulin interference that is caused by sleep deprivation interferes with your body’s ability to transfer glucose throughout the body. Glucose is our primary fuel source, and so we stop using it very well when we don’t sleep.
Next, the leptin levels drop off. Leptin is a hormone that tells us that we are satisfied and no longer hungry. Then Ghrelin Levels jump through the roof. Ghrelin is a hormone that stimulates hunger.
This is a trifecta. Not only are you not using your energy well, but you’re also eating too much, and you don’t know when you are actually full. All of these things will cause you to add fat to your body.
Finally, We Have Cortisol
Breaking Muscle devotes a lot of time to discussing cortisol’s effects on belly fat, the reason for this focus is that sleep deprivation causes increased levels of cortisol during sleep and a slower time where the levels of cortisol would return to normal. Cortisol is a stress hormone and often related to obesity because of its ability to make your body hold onto its fat stores.
Think about it, when the human body evolved throughout the centuries sleep loss was attributed to humans being in danger, and not because they had a strict deadline at work. Therefore, cortisol comes along and makes sure you keep alert and on edge when you wake up in order to keep you “safe.” It also keeps you “safe” by making sure your fat stays right where it is needed, which lowers your body’s ability to burn fat stores to conserve the energy for an emergency.
How much sleep do you need?
The sad thing is that people begin to see the effects of cortisol when they are sleeping 5-6 hours a night. Those that sleep 4-6 are at a greater risk of the danger associated with cortisol.
Complications such as increased hunger, not being able to know when you’re full, not being able to use the fuel you take in, and not releasing fat stores become more compounded when sleep deprivation becomes more chronic.
How Do I Fix It?
The answer is simple, sleeping between 7.5 and 9.5 hours a day will reduce the effects that you see from chronic sleep deprivation. You will be able to tell the difference after only a few nights of recovered sleep, your appetite will be more manageable you will feel more satisfied after meals.
The best thing you can is to make a plan to get good sleep every night, work up to the goal of 8 hours a night. If you are currently only sleeping 4 hours, it may take you a while to get to 8 hours. However, once you do achieve this solid sleep you will see great improvements in how you eat and a reduction in belly fat.
All the best, Good Food makes For Better Decisions.
Chef Murph
