New Research Shows What Happens to Fat Cells When You Don’t Sleep Enough

October 22, 2012

by Cathe Friedrich

By now you probably know that getting a good night’s sleep is important for controlling your weight. When you deprive yourself of the rest your body needs, it not only affects your waistline but increases the risk of heart problems like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. How so? “Burning the midnight oil” increases the amount of cortisol released by your adrenal glands. That’s one-way lack of sleep causes weight gain, particularly around the belly. High levels of cortisol also lead to higher levels of abdominal fat, especially visceral fat, the most dangerous kind when it comes to your health. In addition, lack of sleep stimulates appetite hormones like ghrelin so you eat more. Until now, scientists haven’t really understood all of the effects lack of sleep has on fat storage. Now new research sheds light on this issue.

How Lack of Sleep Affects Cells

Researchers at the University of Chicago recently discovered that lack of sleep decreases the sensitivity of cells to insulin. The found that the cells of volunteers who slept 4.5 hours of night were significantly less sensitive to insulin compared to those who got 8 full hours of sleep. When insulin sensitivity declines, your pancreas has to produce more. That’s not a good thing since insulin promotes fat storage. In fact, the researchers found that participants who slept 4.5 hours had to pump out almost 3 times as much insulin to get the same response due to the decrease in insulin sensitivity from inadequate sleep.

This also explains why not sleeping enough puts you at higher risk for type 2 diabetes. When cells become resistant to insulin, a condition known as insulin resistance, it places added stress on the pancreas to produce more. At some point, insulin-producing cells in the pancreas may “burn out,” leading to type 2 diabetes. Lack of sleep may be just as dangerous as obesity, another cause of insulin resistance when it comes to increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes is a growing problem among adults and one that’s happening at an earlier age these days.

Insulin Sensitivity is a Factor in Controlling Weight and Disease Risk

Insulin resistance, where cells don’t respond well to insulin the pancreas produces, is a growing concern and one that increases the risk of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. This study is further evidence that sleep is important for weight control and health and helps to keep cells responsive to insulin. Besides getting enough sleep, there are other things you can do to improve insulin sensitivity. Here are some:

Exercise

Exercise increases insulin sensitivity for up to 72 hours after a single session, and there’s growing evidence that regular training causes more sustained improvements in sensitivity to insulin. What kind is best? Both endurance training and resistance training seem to boost insulin sensitivity.

Change the Composition of Your Diet

Processed carbohydrates cause rapid spikes in glucose and insulin levels, thereby contributing to insulin resistance. To keep insulin levels under control, replace high-glycemic carbs like foods made with white flour, white rice, and potatoes with fiber-rich ones to reduce the amount of insulin your pancreas has to produce. Foods high in fiber are absorbed more slowly and are less likely to cause rapid rises in insulin.

Make sure you’re getting enough dietary magnesium. Magnesium is important for insulin sensitivity and is found in abundance in nuts, whole grains, tofu, lentils, and split peas. Adding cinnamon to your morning coffee or breakfast cereal appears to also boost insulin sensitivity.

Control Your Weight

Controlling your weight is one of the most important things you can do to guard against insulin resistance. It’s especially important to prevent weight gain during and after menopause since insulin sensitivity declines a bit at this time. Make sure you’re resistance training. Resistance training increases insulin sensitivity and helps to preserve lean body mass, keeping your metabolic rate higher.

And of course, make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Now you see why sleep is so critical for controlling your weight and staying healthy. Make sure you’re getting enough of it.

References:

Science Daily. “Even Your Fat Cells Need Sleep, According to New Research”

Annals of Internal Medicine, 2012; 157 (8): 549-557.

Diabetes Care March 2003 vol. 26 no. 3 944-945.

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism July 1, 2000 vol. 85 no. 7 2463-2468.