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Life By Design: Lack of Sleep & Weight Gain
June 2, 2021 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Modern health is constantly moving in a wholistic direction. Wellness is a many-faceted journey.
Not surprisingly, studies have linked sleep deprivation with many health issues, including unhealthy metabolism and weight gain.
Join us for a discussion of this topic, and some solutions to getting better sleep.
This is the third of a four-part series on Life by Design with Dr. Christopher Boyhan. Owner of Align Life in Asheville, Dr. Boyhan is focused on natural healthcare through chiropractic care, diet, nutrition enhancement and weight management. Reserve your seat!
In this article on the subject, Michael Breus, Phd. puts it very succinctly.
On average, we need about 7.5 hours of quality sleep per night, he says. “If you are getting this already, another half hour will not help you lose 10 pounds, but if you are a five-hour sleeper and start to sleep for seven hours a night, you will start dropping weight.”
Exactly how lack of sleep affects our ability to lose weight has a lot to do with our nightly hormones, explains Breus.
The two hormones that are key in this process are ghrelin and leptin. “Ghrelin is the ‘go’ hormone that tells you when to eat, and when you are sleep-deprived, you have more ghrelin,” Breus says. “Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating, and when you are sleep deprived, you have less leptin.”
More ghrelin plus less leptin equals weight gain.
“You are eating more, plus your metabolism is slower when you are sleep-deprived,” Breus says.