Maintaining daily sleep requirement and practicing good sleep pattern is essential for a healthy lifestyle. But did you know that it also plays a crucial role in maintaining body weight? Yes, it does! This is mainly because the quality and quantity of sleep directly influences the hormonal activity that controls appetite.

The link factor & the role of hormones
Poor sleeping habits or sleep deprivation for long periods of time can greatly disturb the balance increasing one’s chance of gaining weight. In fact, researchers at the University of Warwick Medical School have discovered a correlation between short sleep, a higher body-mass index (BMI) and a larger waist circumference. Add to this, even researchers at Columbia and the University of Chicago found that people who sleep for less than 5 hours regularly have 50% more chances of becoming obese individuals.

Further to this, scientists believe that the role of two hormones namely ghrelin and leptin is very prominent. Shorter sleep cycles are connected with elevated ghrelin and reduced leptin. This imbalance increases appetite and slows metabolism.

Sleep well everyday!
When one is sleep deprived, not only does it add to stress levels but also triggers cravings for sugar and high-calorie foods. Study shows that sleep deprivation increases cravings for high carbohydrate, calorie dense foods by 45%.

So do ensure that you get you dose of sleep every single day to avoid putting on weight!