You probably knew that a lack of sleep can make you cranky and tired. But you might not know all the amazing ways sleep helps your body.
Let’s break it down!
The Perks of Quality Sleep
Getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night can:
- Help you manage your blood sugar
- Enhance your memory and mood
- Boost your immune system
- Keep your thinking skills sharp
- Improve your productivity and performance at work
- Give your muscles and body functions a much-needed rest
Sleep’s Effect on Weight
Getting the sleep you need also makes it easier to manage your weight! So if you had trouble losing weight in the past or you have hit a plateau now, a good sleep routine might be the missing puzzle piece.
How does it work? There are three big hormones that can affect your weight. And each of these hormones is sensitive to your sleep cycle.
- Leptin is a hormone that helps tell you when you’re full. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body doesn’t make as much leptin. That makes it more likely you’ll consume more calories.
- Ghrelin makes you aware when you’re hungry. But when you’re sleep deprived, the body makes too much ghrelin, so you’re hungry more often. This can lead to eating too much.
- Cortisol is a natural hormone and helpful in small doses. But when you get stressed for long periods of time ― or when you don’t get enough sleep ― your body makes too much cortisol. This makes your body store fat, making it much harder to lose weight.
Get good quality rest so you can enjoy all the benefits of sleep and keep your body’s complex ecosystem in balance.