Does sleeping well help you lose weight? Discover the benefits of a good rest

Rest and health are very related terms. Sleeping is a vital act, it should not only be perceived as a pleasure, but as something that must be attended to and cared for for good overall health. The act of sleeping has multiple functions in our body. When we do not sleep well or the necessary hours, the mechanisms of repair, restoration, regulation, activation... are not carried out and these processes will not be carried out effectively. Do you know one of the things that is most affected? hunger. Sleeping little makes you gain weight.

• Poor or little sleep makes you gain weight
• What is the ideal schedule for adequate rest?
• How to sleep well to lose weight effectively

Poor or little sleep makes you gain weight

Key hormones: what are leptin and ghrelin?

Physiological hunger is the need to eat to obtain nutrients necessary for life. Our body warns us with physical sensations of discomfort and annoyance such as noises and stomach burning, tiredness or increased salivation. The hormone ghrelin is the famous hunger hormone (although it has many more important functions). Ghrelin levels increase when the stomach is empty. So far, so good. You're probably thinking... "if I'm overweight, I'm not interested in having high levels of ghrelin." But controlling hunger or healthy hunger is not just a matter of ghrelin, another hormone called leptin (its analogue) also comes into play here, which has the completely opposite effect: stopping eating. The problem comes when this mechanism is altered and resistance to leptin is created, making it difficult to control intake: we eat more, we snack between meals, we feel more anxiety about high-calorie foods...

What is the ideal schedule for adequate rest?

How to keep ghrelin and leptin in order? Doing physical exercise, maintaining a meal schedule, eating when we are physiologically hungry and not on a whim and… sleeping well and enough! Yes, sleeping well helps you lose weight and maintain a healthy weight because sleep and wake cycles are closely related to hunger regulation. We are referring to quality sleep, at an ideal time and around 8 hours each night.
When we sleep fewer hours than necessary or our sleep is interrupted by frequent awakenings, leptin levels are reduced and ghrelin levels increase, making it more difficult to stop the desire to eat the next day. If this continues over time, the risk of suffering from obesity increases by unnecessarily increasing food intake, which will accumulate in our love handles.

How to sleep well to lose weight effectively

It has become clear to us that we have to take care of our hours of night rest, as well as the quality of our diet. Sleeping well is important, as you can see, and in this other article, we explain how to achieve it. But we are going to help you a little more, with some tips to sleep well and lose weight:

Dinner time

It is advisable to have dinner 2 to 3 hours before going to bed and, if the ideal time to go to sleep is between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., we should be having dinner between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Eating dinner early is related to the quality of sleep and all the metabolic processes that occur while we sleep. Going to sleep in the middle of digestion, with a full stomach, can not only increase discomfort, such as reflux or discomfort, but also interfere with correct insulin levels, increase cortisol (stress hormone) levels, and decrease melatonin levels. (sleep hormone) stressing our body with digestion at times when this should be secondary, that is, light and nutritious dinners. What should these dinners be like?

Diet: dinners suitable for a good rest

In addition to the fact that there are foods that promote sleep, it is important that our dinner plate contains what our body needs for nighttime repair, that is, protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates.

• Lean proteins: a few pieces of grilled chicken, a French omelette, a baked fish... are ideal foods to feed our muscles and not our love handles.
• Healthy fats: don't be afraid of fats, as they have important functions such as regulating blood sugar, producing hormones, repairing cells, providing sustained energy throughout the night, in addition to having anti-inflammatory effects. What are they? Well, avocados, oily fish fat, extra virgin olive oil or a handful of walnuts.
• Complex carbohydrates: we don't have to have zero carbohydrates either, but we will choose those that provide us with sustained energy. We will avoid sugars and refined foods, and opt for moderate amounts of whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat or oats, among others. If you want fewer calories, you can provide them through vegetables.
• Foods rich in tryptophan: diet is a way to take tryptophan to sleep and lose weight. This amino acid facilitates the synthesis of serotonin and melatonin, which is why we want it in our dinner. We find it in protein foods, such as eggs, meat and dairy products, but also in bananas, nuts, whole grains, dark chocolate, legumes and brewer's yeast. Therefore, taking tryptophan in the diet or supplements would help us lose weight.

Supplements to sleep well and lose weight

You are not alone in the face of danger. We understand that insomnia is not voluntary and that, even controlling dinners, schedules and late afternoon activities, sometimes it is not enough. Our daily chaos can disrupt our circadian sleep-wake cycles and prevent us from sleeping at appropriate times.

Magnesium: Magnesium helps relax the nervous system and promotes rest, in addition to intervening in the levels of the sleep hormone, melatonin, and the activation of GABA, a neurotransmitter that provides mental calm.

Tryptophan with Melatonin + Magnesium and Vit. B6: this supplement is ideal for those who have unregulated schedules and who end up going to rest after midnight. With it, we increase melatonin levels when taking it, that is, after dinner, since this hormone is synthesized at night, to sleep. In turn, vitamin B6 and tryptophan (an amino acid that helps produce serotonin and melatonin) enhance this effect even further.

Tryptophan with Gaba + Passionflower and magnesium: sometimes insomnia is caused by restlessness, nerves or being too active. Also in certain more emotionally sensitive times, such as premenopause or menopause, where sleep is easily disturbed. GABA helps calm the mind, avoiding tossing and turning in bed, while passionflower provides a sedative and calming effect that makes it easier to fall asleep.

If you want to control hunger and manage to maintain or lose weight, take care of your night's rest. Now you know that we not only have to invest in time to cook and do physical activity, we have to allocate the hours it deserves to sleep. You will notice a big difference in your appetite, in your mood and little by little you will sleep better and more deeply.

Continue learning more to take care of your body with Cellulite: what it is and how to treat it.