Getting little sleep or poor quality sleep can have impacts that go far beyond tiredness and difficulty concentrating the next day. This is because sleep plays an important role in the functioning of metabolism and the balance of the organism as a whole, directly influencing the control of body weight.
According to Paula Pens, professor of the Nutrition course at Faculdade Anhanguera, the impact of sleep on weight occurs mainly due to hormonal changes. “When the person sleeps badlythere is an imbalance in the hormones that regulate hunger and satiety, which can lead to an increase in appetite throughout the day”, he explains.
Check out how sleep can affect body weight:
1. Change in hunger hormones
Sleep deprivation increases the production of ghrelin, a hormone responsible for stimulating appetiteand reduces leptin, which signals satiety. As a result, the person tends to feel hungrier, especially for higher-calorie foods.
2. Greater desire for ultra-processed foods
Those who sleep poorly tend to feel more likely to eat foods rich in sugar and fat, as a way of compensating for the lack of energy. This can lead to less healthy choices throughout the day.
3. Reduction in energy expenditure
Fatigue caused by bad quality Sleep loss can reduce your willingness to perform physical activities and even day-to-day tasks, reducing total caloric expenditure.
Sleeping too little can also harm the way the body uses glucose, favoring the accumulation of fat and increasing the risk of metabolic problems over time.
5. Increased stress and cortisol
Lack of sleep is associated with an increase in the stress hormone cortisol, which can contribute to fat accumulationespecially in the abdominal region.
According to the teacher, maintaining an adequate sleep routine is as important as taking care of your diet. “There’s no point just focusing on your diet if your sleep isn’t working. regulated. The body needs rest to function in a balanced way and maintain a healthy metabolism”, he highlights.
To improve sleep quality, the advice is to maintain regular bedtimes and wake-up times, avoid using screens before bed and reduce caffeine consumption at night. Small changes in your habits can make a difference in both rest and weight control.
By Priscila Dezidério