How’s your sleep? Despite the role sleep plays in keeping your waistline slender and your metabolism primed to burn fat, most people don’t get enough of it – or the sleep they get is subpar. Don’t underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep for a healthy metabolism and a slim waistline. How well you sleep and how much time you spend in peaceful slumber impacts hormones that affect your metabolic rate, appetite, and weight control.
Unfortunately, too many otherwise health-focused people subscribe to the idea that they can burn the midnight oil and still stay at a healthy body weight, as long as they stay active and eat a healthy diet. But skimping on sleep sets into motion a whirlwind of metabolic changes that do your waistline and health no favors.
The Metabolic Consequences of Sleep Deprivation
When you don’t get enough high-quality sleep and wake up tired the next day, your body launches into a cascade of metabolic changes that contribute to weight gain and other health issues over time. Even a single night of poor-quality sleep reduces how sensitive your cells are to insulin, making it harder for you to regulate your blood sugar level and makes it easier to gain body fat, especially belly fat.
To make matters worse, when you don’t sleep enough, it places stress on your body. This causes cortisol, a stress hormone, to spike. Partially because of cortisol, you’re more likely to crave high-calorie, high-carbohydrate foods. Another reason is that poor sleep or lack of it disrupts two hormones that regulate your appetite, leptin, and ghrelin. So, you feel hungrier and make less healthy food selections. Instead of reaching for a piece of fruit or a salad, you reach for a brownie or cookie.
The Impact of Sleep Quality on Metabolism
According to experts, you need 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night but it’s more than the quantity of sleep you get. It’s just as important that the sleep you get is high quality. A night of disrupted sleep is just as damaging to your metabolism as not sleeping enough. Research shows that sleep fragmentation, or frequently waking up throughout the night, is associated with increased adiposity, insulin resistance, and impaired insulin secretion.
Poor sleep quality can also disrupt the natural circadian rhythms that help regulate glucose, lipids, and resting metabolic rate. When these rhythms are thrown off balance through poor sleep quality, it increases the risk of weight gain and obesity and related disorders.
The Role of Diet in Promoting Healthy Sleep
Can you eat to sleep better? Just as sleep affects your metabolism, your diet affects the quality of your sleep. Studies show that nutrients and foods help promote better sleep, while others can disrupt your sleep patterns.
Tryptophan, an amino acid, in foods like turkey, milk, and eggs, is a precursor to serotonin and melatonin, two neurotransmitters that regulate sleep. Research shows that adding more tryptophan-rich foods could help you get a better night’s sleep. One problem is that tryptophan doesn’t easily cross the blood-brain barrier. But you can increase the amount that makes it into your brain by consuming carbohydrates with tryptophan-rich foods. The carbohydrates increase insulin release, which helps tryptophan make it out of your bloodstream into your brain.
Cherries, particularly tart cherries, are a natural source of melatonin, a hormone and antioxidant that helps bring on sleep. These luscious orbs with a touch of tart can help you sleep study. One study found that elderly individuals who drank tart cherry juice enjoyed an additional hour of quality sleep.
On the other hand, eating a high-fat or high-carbohydrate meal close to bedtime can make it harder to stay asleep. Too much food, particularly options high in fat, can cause digestive discomfort and trigger more frequent nighttime awakenings.
Similarly, high-carbohydrate meals can cause a spike in blood sugar levels. When your blood sugar drops, you might wake up in the middle of the night feeling hungry or nervous and be unable to fall back to sleep. To minimize sleep disruptions, avoid heavy, rich meals within 2-3 hours of bedtime and opt for lighter, easily digestible snacks if you feel hungry before sleep.
It is obvious that you don’t want to consume caffeine within 4-6 hours of sleep. Also, avoid alcohol, especially in the evening. You might think a glass of wine at bedtime would help your sleep quality, it can disrupt it.
Optimize Your Sleep for Better Metabolic Health
To support a healthy metabolism and well-being, prioritize getting a good night’s sleep. Most people don’t do that, and it throws hormones, like insulin, cortisol, and appetite hormones, like leptin and ghrelin, out of balance. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night and establish a consistent sleep schedule to help regulate your body’s internal clock and hormone release.
The setting you sleep in matters too. Make sure it’s comfy and makes you feel tranquil. Create a sleep-friendly environment by keeping your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool. Avoid electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime, as the blue light these devices emit can interfere with the release of melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone. It goes without saying that you should have a comfy mattress, pillows, and blankets.
Ensure the temperature of your sleeping area is conducive to sleep. According to the Sleep Foundation, your bedroom temperature should be between 60-67°F (15-19°C). A drop in temperature signals to your body that it’s time to sleep. Taking a warm bath can also help you fall asleep faster.
When you soak in a warm tub, your body temperature rises, but when you step out of the tub, it drops. This helps bring on sleep. Avoid using heavy blankets or wearing warm clothing to bed, as this can cause you to overheat and disrupt your sleep.
Conclusion
Once you understand how sleep affects your metabolic health and how what you eat impacts your sleep quality, you can make better choices. Start by adding an extra fifteen minutes to your nightly sleep and add an additional fifteen minutes each week until you’re sleeping the recommended 7 to 8 hours a night. Doing this is an easier and more sustainable approach. Optimize your diet too and make it more sleep friendly. One step at a time, you can improve your sleep – and your metabolism.
References:
- “How Tryptophan Boosts Your Sleep Quality and Mood – Healthline.” 25 Feb. 2018, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/tryptophan.
- “What Is Tryptophan? – Sleep Foundation.” 19 Apr. 2024, https://www.sleepfoundation.org/nutrition/what-is-tryptophan.
- “Does Tart Cherry Juice Promote Better Sleep? – Sleep Foundation.” 16 Apr. 2024, https://www.sleepfoundation.org/nutrition/tart-cherry-juice.
- “Tips for Better Sleep | CDC.” 13 Sept. 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/sleep_hygiene.html.
- “National Sleep Foundation.” https://www.thensf.org/.
- Godos J, Grosso G, Castellano S, Galvano F, Caraci F, Ferri R. Association between diet and sleep quality: A systematic review. Sleep Med Rev. 2021 Jun;57:101430. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101430. Epub 2021 Jan 1.
- Iao SI, Jansen E, Shedden K, et al. Associations between bedtime eating or drinking, sleep duration and wake after sleep onset: findings from the American time use survey. British journal of nutrition. 2021;127(12):1888-1897. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/s000711452100359716. PMID: 33549913.
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