Lose weight whilst you sleep…?? YES!
Lose weight while you sleep… now that’s a diet
"One of the more interesting ideas that has been smouldering and is now gaining momentum is the theory that sleep and sleep disruption do remarkable things to the body, including influencing your weight” says David Rapport, MD, associate professor and Director of the Sleep Medicine program at NYU.
While the medical profession has known that hormones are affected by sleep, Rapport says that it wasn’t until recently that appetite entered the picture. What brought it into focus was the research on the hormones Leptin and Ghrelin.
Studies report that both of these hormones are influenced by how much or how little we sleep.
If you have ever experienced a sleepless night followed by a day when no matter what you ate you never felt full or satisfied, you may have experienced the workings of Leptin and Ghrelin.
Leptin and Ghrelin work in a checks and balance manner to control feelings of hunger of fullness. Ghrelin, which is produced in the gastrointestinal tract stimulates appetite, while Leptin produced in the fat cells sends a signal to the brain that you are full.
So what is the connection to sleep?
When we don’t get enough sleep, Leptin levels are driven down, which means that we don’t feel satisfied after we eat. Lack of sleep causes the Ghrelin levels to rise stimulating our appetite, which means that we want more food.
The two combined can set the stage for overeating, which in turn can lead to weight gain….Hey wake up and get back to work….