Its been proven that a poor sleeping schedule leads to an increase in hunger and unwanted cravings, in today’s modern lifestyle when food is just one click or tap away humans are eating just to pass time rather than nourishing the body, modern-day living in an urban city,s does not always embrace the necessity for adequate sleep, yet it is very important that people make an effort to get ample amount of sleep hours. so let’s discuss how does lack of sleep cause obesity
Just like reboot sleep is a refreshing process of the brain, by the brain and for the brain, but after many types of research has proven that good night sleep is important for a healthy body, city lifestyles are putting behavioral sleep curtailment on the daily basis, urban people feel proud themselves for being a night owl. western society is becoming a predominantly 24- hour society with more evening and night-time work hours and leisure activities. these are leading to the sacrifice of hours available for sleep, which leads to long-term damage. over exposer to artificial light after sunset and often before sunrise, resulting in increased cases of Circadian rhythm sleep disorder.
What is circadian rhythm or sleep cycle?
Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. These are natural processes that respond predominantly to light and dark ambiance and affect most living things, including animals, plants, and microbes. Chronobiology is the study of circadian rhythms. One example of a light-related circadian rhythm is sleeping at night and being awake during the day.
some people might get confused between the Biological clock and circadian rhythm but biological clocks are organisms, our very own natural timing devices, regulating the cycle of circadian rhythms. They’re composed of specific molecules (proteins) that interact with cells throughout the body. Nearly every tissue and organ contains biological clocks. Researchers have identified similar genes in people, fruit flies, mice, plants, fungi, and several other organisms that make the clocks’ molecular components.
How sleep is related to obesity
According to recent studies, the obesity epidemic is on the steep rise since 1980, this epidemic has been rising parallelly with rising modern culture. as modern lifestyle curve steeps sleep duration has been reduced, poor sleep quality has also become a frequent complaint, Growing evidence both from laboratory and epidemiological studies points to short sleep duration as a new and constantly rising risk factor for the development of obesity and its complications.
Sleep is an important modulator of neuroendocrine function and regular glucose metabolism and sleep loss have been shown to result in metabolic and endocrine mutations, including decreased glucose tolerance and alteration of the appetite-regulating hormone.
Don’t blame hormones for those late-night cravings, Studies show that even a single night of sleep impoverishment changes the secretion cycle of our hunger and appetite hormones, leading to increased uncontrollable cravings. It also affects the way your brain’s motivation centers respond to the sight (or even the thought) of food. when you are deprived of sleep, both your body and brain send strong signals that motivate you to drive to the drive-throughs. Those extra calories can easily lead to weight gain, which would seem to explain the well-documented connection between undersleeping and being overweight. Undersleeping is also associated with an increased risk of cardiac disease and diabetes.
So how does lack of sleep leads to weight gain?
It is been studied and documented that lack of sleep suppresses leptin, a hormone that regulates cells fat storage and calories burned while triggering ghrelin, a hormone that drives hunger. And also remember, exhaustion drains your motivation to exercise. But these cravings weren’t understood until Northwestern University researchers studied the sense of smell and its impact on cravings.
Previous studies found a lack of sleep increases certain endocannabinoids, chemical compounds similar to cannabinoids (an active ingredient in cannabis), but produced by your body. Like cannabis in marijuana, endocannabinoids heighten the sense of smell and boost appetite. and it has been proven that sleep-deprived people choose caloric-dense foods like potato chips, burgers, or sugars like donuts and shakes majorly influenced by smell. Researchers also noticed the parts of the brain responsible for the sense of smell and receiving signals about food smell, taste, and the amount of food in the stomach didn’t communicate well when that endocannabinoid was elevated
How to sleep like a baby
Keep your routine, Strict routines help us to be more disciplined and create new habits that can promote self-care practices. The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have dramatically altered many people’s normal routines because of work-from-home cultures, which makes it that much harder to cope with the stress and lack of sleep that people are suffering from. Having a routine can be helpful at any time, particularly if you are trying to establish healthy habits, but these routines can be particularly important when aspects of your life feel uncertain.
Nutrition, In the case of sleep nutrition, is not limited to the body only. Have a nutritious diet that balances digestive and metabolic fire, hydrate enough, and cut out caffeine and stimulants after 2 pm. Mental nutrition includes breath and sensory perceptions; take a deep breath, set your happy boundaries, and avoid negative news and relationships.
Avoid Digital overload, You might notice a sudden change in your stress level like an anxiety attack if you are using your devices too much. Research suggests that people who use their computers and check their social media sites more often are more stressed prone to such attacks. You may be more irritable, have trouble relaxing, feel fatigued, or have physical symptoms such as headaches.
Mindful breathing, Popular as 4-7-8 breathing The 4-7-8 breathing technique involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds. This breathing pattern aims to reduce anxiety or help people get to sleep. Some practitioners have claimed that this method helps people get to sleep in 1 minute.
Nighttime preparation for good sleep
‘Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man, healthy, wealthy and wise’ were the words uttered by Benjamin Franklin (one of the founding fathers of the United States). Its been proven Sleep with the setting sun and awaken with the rising sun improves concentration and memory power. This means early bird people will tend to perform better at work and the children in their schools. Waking up early provides more energy: People who have fewer hours of sleep experience low levels of energy and negativity. (If this is not practical create a setting with dark light and white noise to simulate nighttime).
Have dinner early (2-3 hours before sleeping) and try Turmeric or Golden Milk. Don’t eat past 7 pm. Avoid late nights and late-night snacking. Eating an early dinner will help you with lower blood pressure, better sleep, improve digestion, better metabolism to reduce obesity and many chronic diseases risk.
Keep your bedroom uncluttered, clean, and comfortable. Wear loose, comfortable pajamas.
Avoid stimulating activity; try a relaxing shower, foot massage, gratitude journaling, self-reflection, white noise, soothing books, and…calming breathwork…
Unplug: Avoid devices and blue light after 8:30-9 pm that can disturb natural rhythms. EMF disrupts melatonin production; keep phones away or on airplane mode and wifi routers far away or turned off.
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