Why does getting enough sleep help you lose fat faster?

Fat loss is not only dependent on exercise or diet, but also closely related to the quality of sleep. This is because sleep directly affects hormones, metabolism and the body's ability to recover.

Getting enough sleep helps reduce fat faster due to the following hormonal mechanisms:

Leptin

Leptin is a satiety hormone secreted from fat tissue. This hormone is responsible for signaling to the brain whether the body has enough energy or not. When we get enough sleep, leptin levels are maintained, helping us feel full longer and limit overeating, according to Medical News Today (UK).

Good sleep helps regulate hormones in the body, thereby reducing fat more effectively.

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However, lack of sleep significantly reduces leptin, causing the brain to mistakenly think that the body is in a state of energy deficiency. Research from the University of Chicago (USA) shows that sleeping only 4 hours/night for 2 consecutive days reduces leptin levels by 18%. The result is increased appetite and eating more calories.

Additionally, when leptin is low, the body also tends to slow down its metabolism to conserve energy, leading to more fat storage, especially in the abdomen.

Ghrelin

In contrast to leptin, ghrelin is a hunger hormone that stimulates appetite and is secreted from the stomach. When the body gets less sleep, ghrelin increases, making us feel hungrier and making us crave foods rich in sugar, starch or fat.

Lack of sleep can increase ghrelin by 28% and decrease leptin by 18%, thereby promoting overeating. In addition, ghrelin also stimulates the secretion of growth hormone. However, when insomnia persists, this process is disrupted, reducing the ability to regenerate muscle and burn fat.

Insulin

Insulin, secreted by the pancreas, is a hormone that controls blood sugar levels and determines whether the body uses or stores energy. When you lack sleep, insulin sensitivity drops dramatically, meaning the body has to secrete more insulin to move blood glucose into cells. Prolonged high insulin levels put the body in a state of prioritizing fat storage, especially visceral fat.

A study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology (2015) showed that after just 4 nights of sleeping 4-5 hours/night, insulin sensitivity in healthy people decreased by 20-30%. This level is equivalent to pre-diabetes.

Adequate sleep helps the pancreas function smoothly, insulin remains stable, thereby promoting the body to use stored fat for energy instead of storing more.

Cortisol

Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, is secreted by the adrenal glands to help the body cope with stress. However, when you don't sleep, cortisol increases abnormally, especially in the evening and early morning. As a result, the fat burning process is disrupted.

One thing that not everyone knows is that people who are sleep deprived have 37% higher evening cortisol levels than people who get enough sleep. Prolonged high cortisol levels not only increase hunger but also stimulate fat storage in the abdominal area.

In addition, high cortisol also inhibits the male hormone testosterone and growth hormone. These are two important factors that help the body maintain lean muscle mass and burn fat effectively, according to Medical News Today .

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-ngu-du-lai-giup-giam-mo-nhanh-hon-1852510241140176.htm