Not getting enough sleep can adversely affect your health, and that's common knowledge. A recent study published in Annals of Internal Medicine says that even a small amount of sleep deficiency can have significant consequences. In a study of 100 people, losing just an hour of sleep over six weeks affected their appetite, reduced the calories they burned, and led to weight gain.

The link between sleep and weight gain

This study reinforces the fact that sleeping for six hours at night instead of seven can have significant consequences and hinder your weight-loss journey.

In experiments conducted in sleep labs, getting less sleep made people eat more calories. While we have seen some people leading a healthy life with less sleep, studies show that most people need between seven and nine hours of sleep. In one study, people who normally slept around 7.5 hours a night were asked to go to bed 1.5 hours later than usual for six weeks, while getting up at the same time. To assess any changes over the course of the study, they wore wrist monitors and had their blood hormone levels tested, among other measures.

Over the next six-week period, the sleep-deprived participants gained about a pound and showed higher levels of leptin, a hormone linked to body fat. They also felt very lethargic throughout the day. Although they were awake for longer, they could not be as active when they got less sleep. Even the intensity with which they could work out was affected. Their movements throughout the day were also limited.

According to studies, poor sleep disrupts not only your daily movement and hunger hormones but also impairs insulin sensitivity and raises cortisol levels, leading to fat storage around your midsection.

And when you are exhausted, just as when you are stressed, you tend to reach for more sweets and calorie-dense foods. This is because even if your willpower is strong, a tired brain can make poor decisions.

You also take more time to recover from workouts, engage in less spontaneous movement and spend more time sitting.

You can go on like this, getting a little less sleep for many days. But eventually, it starts showing its impact, which is usually weight gain, increased hunger and metabolic dysfunction.

So, be mindful of the number of hours you sleep every day and don't take losing just an hour of sleep very lightly.

—manuvipin@newindianexpress.com

@ManuVipin

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