How does sleep (or lack of it) impact weight?

Written by Taylor Dale, a Mayo Clinic dietetic intern

It is recommended that that an individual get 7-9 hours of sleep. Getting less than 6 hours of sleep is considered sleep deprivation. Not getting enough sleep can lead to weight gain. A study showed that those who got more sleep and had better quality sleep were able to achieve a 5% or more weight loss.

Lack of sleep:

· Increases ghrelin (hunger hormone)

· Decreases leptin (satiety hormone)

· Decreased metabolic rate

· Decreased fat loss

· Decreased activity

Not getting enough sleep will affect the regulation of hormones related to hunger and fullness. Such as increasing in ghrelin, which causes hunger and decreasing leptin, which induces a feeling of fullness. Lack of sleep results in a decrease in the rate of metabolism. This results in less fat mass loss. Getting less sleep also means an individual will be awake longer, resulting in having more access to higher saturated fat food items. Deprivation of sleep will also cause an individual to be more tired during the day and less likely to participate in activity. This makes it harder to maintain weight loss.

Ways to improve sleep quality:

· Exercise

· Mindfulness

· Yoga

· Decrease phone use

· Decrease social media use

There are several ways to improve sleep duration and quality, including more than those listed above. Physical activity such as exercise and yoga have been shown to help the overall quality of sleep. Practicing mindfulness and meditation can help rest the mind and turn off those thoughts that may keep an individual up at night. The use of cell phones and social media before bed prevents an individual from getting to sleep at a decent time, limiting the duration of time asleep.