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Weight watchers have searched far and wide for pills and diet regimen that will work for...

“ No wonder Sleeping Beauty is so slim!”

Weight watchers have searched far and wide for pills and diet regimen that will work for them and keep their weight off. While strict dieting and exercise can give your desired results, there is a less-stressful, less punishing and easier way to shed off those extra pounds: Sleeping.

Too good to be true? You better believe it. Science have proven a direct link between sleep and weight loss and inadvertently so the link between lack of sleep and weight gain as well. Studies show that there are changes and activities happening in the body while you sleep that could affect how the body uses up glucose, as well as hormonal changes that control your appetite if you lack sleep.

REM Stage Sleep

The quality of sleep plays a vital role in our fight for weight loss. During sleep, our brain is subjected to several stages of sleep, each one having a varying brain activity. The last stage which is known as he “Rapid Eye Movement” or REM Stage is the ultimate deep sleep stage where the brain activity is at its peak. During this time, the body uses more glucose in order to fuel more calories to the brain.

Light sleepers as well as those who sleep less than 6 hours per night however, will not have enough sleep time to reach this level. The peakof REMstages are usually experienced on the 6^th to 8^th hour of sleep. This is experienced early in the morning a few hours before you wake up.

By making sure you get a good quality sleep at night that reaches the REM stages, you are maximizing the use of glucose in you body hence burning unwanted and excess calories all along. For those who sleep only for a few hours, chances are there won’t be calorie-burning happening in their sleep. Worst of all, lack of sleep could alter the levels of some hormones of the body directly related to your appetite.

Ghrelin, Leptin, Cortisol

Also known as the “Big Three”, these hormones play a vital role in controlling your appetite. Sleep deprived individuals will suffer increased Ghrelin hormone, decreased Leptin, and increased Cortisol levels. Wondering what these means to your diet?

Ghrelin hormones are the ones responsible for telling our body to eat more and increase the food intake. If you are sleep deprived, the levels would increase in therefore would make you hungry all the time. How many times did you find yourself reaching for a quick snack when you are sleepy? Your instinct will tell you to grab a munch for you to stay awake. Although it offers instant solution, the effect would be detrimental on your diet in the long run.

Leptin, on the other hand tells your body to stop eating. It tells your brain that you are already full. Sleep deprived individuals will have less leptin production, so no matter how much you eat, you will never really feel full. Imagine what it could do to your weight loss regimen if you do not have enough sleep everyday.

Cortisol increases you overall appetite. If you do not have enough sleep, its level will rise making you hungry all the time. Cortisol levels would go down dramatically if a person will have enough sleep all the time.

The next time you brag about an all-nighter with your friends, think about the consequences it could bring to your bodies. If you miss some sleep every now and then, perhaps the effects could be minimal. But if you will become a chronic sleep deprived individual, chances are the effects would start to show on your waistline.

Although sleeping well through the night will not give you instant weight loss per se, it could treat you to two of the most wonderful experience that money can’t buy: Refreshed and Recharged feeling after you wake up, and losing weight without even trying hard to.