Why sleep deprivation is slowing down your metabolism
Sleep deprivation is something which many of us may suffer from as we battle to find enough hours in the day to complete all our tasks and responsibilities. According to an article written by Kathleen Davis for Medical News Today, sleep deprivation happens when “an individual gets less sleep than they need to feel awake and alert”. If you’re feeling sleep deprived, it could be a result of “going to bed late, frequent nighttime arousals, or waking up early”. The amount of sleep needed to avoid sleep deprivation varies from person to person but not addressing the underlying causes of a lack of sleep can result in increased lethargy in the daytime, mood swings, weight gain and a lower quality of life.
The Cleveland Clinic lists the following as some of the main types of causes for sleep deprivation:
- Physical (such as ulcers)
- Medical (such as asthma)
- Psychiatric (such as depression and anxiety disorders)
- Environmental (such as alcohol)
In addition, if you happen to be working out heavily or late at the gym, some studies suggest that strenuous exercise, especially when you don’t give your body enough recovery time, can cause a lack of sleep. This is because when you exercise intensely, it places stress on your body, triggering your sympathetic nervous system to produce hormones like epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol which increase your heart rate and blood pressure. When your body doesn’t recover from a workout, it leads to a high level of these hormones which interrupt the production of neurotransmitters which help you sleep.
As studies have shown, sleep is not only an essential part to making sure our body functions, but it also helps regulate our moods, appetite and thoughts. Failing to get your eight hours of sleep affects both your mind and body, forcing you to rely on high-sugar, high-caffeine food and drink to be able to go about your daily activities. Instead of a healthy meal, you begin to rely on multiple cups of coffee, fast food, packets of sweets or sugary energy drinks. When you are sleep-deprived, your metabolism, like other parts of your body, doesn’t function properly which results in it slowing down.
There are two hormones which play a key role in this process. Ghrelin is the one which tells us when to eat while leptin tells us when we’re full. If you’re not sleeping well, chances are you will produce more ghrelin, which tells you to eat more. You also won’t be making much leptin, which means that you’re prone to overeating, even when if you’ve had enough. Sometimes you might even catch yourself complaining about being tired despite getting a good night’s rest. This is because failing to get adequate sleep creates sleep deficit or debt which means you’ll feel exhausted based on your previous patterns. Whilst sleep deprivation can be a short-time problem for most, you should consult your local GP if you continue to find yourself dealing with symptoms in the long term.