If you’re short on sleep and struggling to shift unwanted fat (which fat is ever wanted when you’re a man), you may want to think seriously about establishing a decent sleeping pattern. This is a a topic close to home for me as a previous insomniac (whilst in a job I really didn’t like). The reason for this is that sleep is essential for hormonal balance, such as the release of growth hormone – our ‘fountain of youth hormone’ – that helps to build muscle, burn fat, improve libido, strengthen bones and improve heart and kidneys duration. Sleep also induces testosterone release and maintain ghrelin and leptin balance – our hungry and full signalling hormones. When we sleep less, we produce more cortisol – the stress hormone that breaks breaks down muscle tissue and can lower testosterone. Here is what Shelby Harris from Psychology Today has to say about sleep and fat loss:
We already know that it’s important to get a solid night of sleep on a regular basis. For the vast majority of people, between 6 and 9 hours is sufficient.
When we don’t sleep enough, twohormones in our body are greatly affected: ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is a hormone that gives us the “go” signal, meaning that we are hungry and need to eat. On the other end is leptin, a hormone that signals satiety and tells us to stop eating. When we don’t get enough sleep, even after just a few short nights of less slumber, the balance between ghrelin and leptin is tipped. We have more ghrelin and less leptin. As a result, the signal that tells us we’re full becomes weak, and the “you’re hungry, eat!” signal is strengthened.
An interesting November 2013 study, conducted by researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU) and published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, took a somewhat different angle at the sleep/weight connection. Instead of just focusing on quantity of sleep, their research looked at the timing and quality of sleep.
Researchers at BYU investigated over 300 college-aged women over the course of a few weeks, assessing them for body fat composition and keeping track of their sleep patterns for one week. Results showed that participants who obtained less than 6.5 or more than 8.5 hours of sleep per night had higher body fat.What is novel in this study is their look at the timing of sleep and its impact on body fat composition. The researchers found that a consistent bedtime and, more importantly, wake time, were related to lower body fat. Participants who had more than 90 minutes of variation in their sleep/wake times were more likely to have higher body fat composition than those with less than 60 minutes of variation.
We are all born with internal clocks called circadian rhythms. These rhythms are on a roughly 24-hour clock and keep our bodies in check throughout the day. Not only do circadian rhythms impact our sleep schedules, but they also govern many other complex functions in our body—notably, when hormones are released by various organs in our body. Keeping a fixed wake time seven days per week helps to keep the circadian clock in check all day long. Even though staying with the same bedtime is important, having a constant wake time has many more implications in keeping our body’s physiology on the right clock. Plus, not sleeping in allows for us to be out of bed and active for more hours, which helps with lowering body fat.
Finally, the researchers also noted that sleep quality greatly impacted body composition. Participants who slept better had less body fat. A myriad of reasons can factor into why sleep quality might be disrupted: pain, sleep apnea, anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, etc. And the more disrupted one’s sleep is, the more likely they aren’t getting all of the benefits of a solid night’s sleep. What’s more, less human growth hormone is produced and more of the stress horomone cortisol is released (leading one’s body to feel more stressed). These are all things that can impact leptin and ghrelin production, thereby increasing body fat composition.
If you find that you’re having trouble logging enough sleep, getting quality sleep or keeping to a sleep schedule, consider seeing a sleep specialist to help assess any issues that might be contributing to your insomnia.
-
How To Shed Fat In 10 Minutes – video
‘Busy man fitness’ is something that many are turning to in today’s fast paced world when we don’t think we have ... -
7 Ways To Get Your Mojo Back
Mojo isn’t purely about physical fitness, energy, appearance and high levels of testosterone. Although it has a lot to do with ... -
Yoga And Testosterone
Have you ever done yoga? If you haven’t, seriously consider starting. It’s simply brilliant for you. I’ve recently taken up yoga ... -
The Truth About Exercise
In yesterday’s post, we looked at what happens to our bodies when we stop working out. We all know (really) that ... -
4 Dietary Pitfalls Of Low Testosterone
If you’re a regular on this site, you’ll have seen me bang on about the Paleo lifestyle to boost testosterone, build muscle ... -
Sleep And Hormone Balance
If you’re short on sleep and struggling to shift unwanted fat (which fat is ever wanted when you’re a man), you ...
-
How To Stick To Your New Year’s Resolutions
Happy New Year to you! Ok, we’re a few days in but I thought this would be an appropriate time to ... -
Men Over 40: Get Your Energy Back And Revive Your Drive
Are you a man, or do you know….a man? If you’re male, and over the age of 40, you may just ... -
How To Improve Blood Circulation With BEMER PEMF
Did you know that our micro-capillaries make up 74% of our blood circulatory system? And did you know that as we ... -
The Magic Pill Documentary – My Notes
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, (who does that?), you’ll have heard about the Ketogenic diet. It’s becoming increasingly popular ... -
Getting Real With Neil: Rethinking Cancer
I was inspired to start this series after a heated conversation with a very close friend of mine. He’s very intelligent, ... -
Healing is Voltage And The Physics Of Emotions
Quite often, I come across a talk or interview or documentary or book that screams for me to share it with ...
-
The Incredible Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
I’ve written a few posts on this and I thought it was worth revisiting as I’ve recently been reminded about how ... -
Human Growth Hormone – ‘Fountain Of Youth’
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) has been dubbed the “Fountain Of Youth’ hormone as it keeps us young and slows down ageing. ... -
9 Ways To Fall Asleep
Sleep is a super important for hormonal balance, building muscle, burning fat, stress management and it gives your brain the time ... -
Exercising On An Empty Stomach
A while ago I featured an article on Intermittent Fasting which has a number of health benefits, as well being very effective ... -
Sleep And Hormone Balance
If you’re short on sleep and struggling to shift unwanted fat (which fat is ever wanted when you’re a man), you ... -
How To Trigger Growth Hormone
You may have heard human growth hormone, HGH, which helps to build muscle along with testosterone, burn fat and has also ...
Facebook Comments
Leave a Reply
How To Stick To Your New Year’s Resolutions
Happy New Year to you! Ok, we’re a ...