lack of sleep = bad for diet

lifesabeach2629
lifesabeach2629 Posts: 28
edited September 26 in Food and Nutrition
I have noticed throughout my little weight loss journey that on days in which I'm sleep deprived, my will to resist junk food goes down the drain (today is a perfect example).

but there might be another factor here that plays into it. i think you might have intensified food cravings when your tired b/c your body might be telling you that it's missing something (sleep) and you try to satisfy this void with something else (food). who knows, this little theory of mine might be a stretch, but i have certainly noticed that when i'm tired, i eat WAY more, and resisting food is WAY harder than normal.

...anyone else face the same difficulty?

Replies

  • LowCarbAmanda
    LowCarbAmanda Posts: 129
    I have noticed that the scale is less kind when I'm sleep deprived!
  • RDH0513
    RDH0513 Posts: 245 Member
    I completely agree. I think it has to do with when I am really tired, I don't want to take the time to eat/prepare my foods, I want to eat something fast and just not be hungry. So you think I should just tell my boss I'll be in at 10:30 so I don't ruin my diet cause I need to sleep in??
  • andreahanlon
    andreahanlon Posts: 263 Member
    When I first started losing weight, I made it a priority to get extra sleep, and that was absolutely, by far, my most productive period of losing weight. I had more energy to exercise and my focus was sharper. Yes, I agree. Sleep is a factor in healthy choices regarding food and exercise.

    And I like your theory. :)
  • RadicalCharlie
    RadicalCharlie Posts: 123 Member
    Haven't really noticed yet... I've been awake for 41 hours. Hoping I can sleep tonight.

    Edit: Actually, I noticed I've been eating half as much food as I planned.
  • srtiemann
    srtiemann Posts: 76
    When I am tired and over worked I am the same way! It's like my stomach over rides my brain.
  • cddroid
    cddroid Posts: 22 Member
    Most of the time I am sleep deprived, and YES, there is definitely a link between sleep and being able to stay on track with the diet. If I have a really bad night and find my day starting at 2 or 3 AM, I just wright the day off b/c I KNOW I'm going to eat whatever sounds good. I think it's b/c I'm feeling so terrible (fatigued, cranky, low tolerance to stress, etc.). My average sleep is about 6 hours a night, and I know I need more than that. I hope to work on that in the future! :yawn:
  • Damnian
    Damnian Posts: 3
    One of the most important things about dieting is digestion....and the time when your body is at its digestive peak is when your?....thats right! SLEEPING!!!!!! And your right when you are sleep deprived you tend to eat more...mostly because your body is trying to find ways to keep energy going to stay awake and fight its fatigued feeling...I tell ya the body is a interesting vessel lol but yeah try your hardest to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night and if you do crave something try to stick to a nice light snack!! YOU CAN DO IT :)
  • serendipityrr
    serendipityrr Posts: 109 Member
    I had been thinking the same thing for a while now, years really....
    and lately I have read a tonne of information about it, and I saw a Dr. Oz show about it only last week.
    Apparently there is a hormone released when we sleep called Leptin, and it actually curbes our appetites....so you're right.....on all levels!

    And on that note, it's late here!
    G'Night!
    :happy:

    Renee
  • STR0NGisSEXY
    STR0NGisSEXY Posts: 128 Member
    I want to say I've read up on this before.. and a lack of sleep actually increases a hormone that makes you have more cravings!
  • STR0NGisSEXY
    STR0NGisSEXY Posts: 128 Member
    Yeah.. it's called Ghrelin!
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghrelin


    Ghrelin has emerged as the first identified circulating hunger hormone. Ghrelin and synthetic ghrelin mimetics (the growth hormone secretagogues) increase food intake and increase fat mass[7][8] by an action exerted at the level of the hypothalamus. They activate cells in the arcuate nucleus[9][10] that include the orexigenic neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurons.[11] Ghrelin-responsiveness of these neurons is both leptin- and insulin-sensitive.[12] Ghrelin also activates the mesolimbic cholinergic-dopaminergic reward link, a circuit that communicates the hedonic and reinforcing aspects of natural rewards, such as food, as well as of addictive drugs, such as ethanol.[13][14][12]

    There is also strong evidence that ghrelin has a peripheral appetite modulatory effect on satiety by affecting the mechanosensitivity of gastric vagal afferents, making them less sensitive to distension resulting in over eating.[3]

    Sleep-Duration

    A study [28] appearing in the journal PLoS Medicine suggests that short sleep duration is associated with high levels of ghrelin and obesity; ghrelin appears to be a factor contributing to the short sleep duration and obesity. Scientists have uncovered an inverse relationship between the hours of sleep and blood plasma concentrations of ghrelin; as the hours of sleep increase, ghrelin concentrations were considerably lower, thereby potentially reducing appetite and avoiding potential obesity.



    GET YOUR SLEEP!! lol
  • ysamatar
    ysamatar Posts: 484 Member
    Bump! No wonder I'm sleep deprived. I eat right, exercise and sleep less? I just started reading a book called "the Hormone diet" Alot of info.
  • lkm111
    lkm111 Posts: 629 Member
    Oprah Winfrey did a show with Bob Greene this past week. It was about ways to reverse aging as much as 20 years, and one of the ways he said we age ourselves is by lack of sleep. He also noted that when people get more sleep, they do lose weight. I thought is was a great show, made a lot of sense.
  • lisa_2011
    lisa_2011 Posts: 11
    I have to agree with your post... Im a feeling rather tired today, didn't get more than 7hrs worth of sleep last night and I am feeling really hungry this morning.... had my cereal this moning (9am) and just had a cereal bar and coffee.... gonna try and stick to water and fruit for lunch and have a regular dinner...

    good luck ladies!
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