Not getting enough sleep makes it harder to shed body fat, especially belly fat. Now new research suggests it may work both ways – losing weight and shedding belly fat could help you sleep more peacefully at night.
Sleep and Belly Fat: It Works Both Ways
A number of studies show that short sleep cycles, sleeping less than seven hours a night, increases the risk for weight gain, especially gains in belly fat. How so? Lack of sleep boosts levels of a powerful appetite-stimulating hormone called ghrelin while reducing levels of leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells that turns off the desire to eat. Low leptin and high ghrelin are a bad combination when it comes to controlling weight since this combo stimulates appetite and sends you running to the refrigerator for a snack.
What researchers haven’t looked at extensively is how body fat affects sleep. Researchers at Johns Hopkins studied 77 overweight and obese men and women with either metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes. These men and women followed a weight loss diet or a weight loss diet and exercise to lose weight. Before starting, they were questioned about their sleep patterns and habits and researchers took abdominal body fat and BMI measurements.
At the end of six months, both groups lost an average of 15 % of their body weight and a roughly equal amount of belly fat, as measured by MRI. They also experienced significant improvements in sleep quality. They were able to fall asleep more quickly, had less early morning awakenings and felt more refreshed in the morning. It didn’t seem to matter how they lost the weight – whether it was through diet and exercise or exercise alone – both groups that lost weight and belly fat slept better.
Why Is This Important?
Lack of sleep, sleeping less than seven hours a night, is now recognized as an important risk factor for health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and overall mortality. At the same time, visceral belly fat, the kind that lies deep within your abdominal cavity, increases the risk for these same problems. When you shed visceral fat, you lower your risk for these health problems by reducing visceral fat directly – and indirectly by improving sleep quality. Plus, if you’re a “restless sleeper,” shedding belly fat could help you get a better night’s sleep.
Best Ways to Lose Visceral Belly Fat
Even though you can’t “pinch” visceral body fat because it lies deeper in your abdominal cavity, it’s still the most dangerous kind to have. Regular exercise, especially high-intensity exercise like interval training, can take a “bite” out of visceral belly fat. Diet is another key factor. Cut back on processed and high-glycemic carbohydrates and replace saturated with monounsaturated fats from sources like nuts and olive oil and lean sources of protein to shed visceral body fat.
Adding more soluble fiber to your diet will help too. A study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center showed that visceral fat levels were reduced by 3.7% for every 10-gram increase in dietary soluble fiber. The best sources of soluble fiber are vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains.
The take-home message? A combination of a diet low in processed carbs combined with high-intensity interval-style exercise along with resistance training to increase lean body mass is the best way to keep visceral body fat in check, improve your overall health – and get a good night’s sleep.
References:
PLOS Medicine. “Short Sleep Duration Is Associated with Reduced Leptin, Elevated Ghrelin, and Increased Body Mass Index”
Food Navigator – USA website. “Soluble Fiber May Cut Levels of Belly Fat”
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