If you’re trying to lose weight, the amount of sleep you get may be just as important as your diet and exercise. Unfortunately, many people aren’t getting enough sleep. In fact, about 30% of adults are sleeping fewer than six hours most nights, according to a study of US adults. Interestingly, mounting evidence shows that sleep may be the missing factor for many people who are struggling to lose weight. Here are seven reasons why getting enough sleep may help you lose weight.

1. Poor Sleep Is a Major Risk Factor for Weight Gain and Obesity

Poor sleep has repeatedly been linked to a higher body mass index (BMI) and weight gain People’s sleep requirements vary, but, generally speaking, research has observed changes in weight when people get fewer than seven hours of sleep a night.

2. Poor Sleep Can Increase Your Appetite

Many studies have found that people who are sleep-deprived report having an increased appetite.This is likely caused by the impact of sleep on two important hunger hormones, ghrelin and leptin.

GHRELIN is a hormone released in the stomach that signals hunger in the brain. Levels are high before you eat, which is when the stomach is empty, and low after you eat. 

LEPTIN is a hormone released from fat cells. It suppresses hunger and signals fullness in the brain. 

When you do not get adequate sleep, the body makes more ghrelin and less leptin, leaving you hungry and increasing your appetite.The short sleepers also had higher BMIs.

In addition, the hormone CORTISOL is higher when you do not get adequate sleep. Cortisol Is a stress hormone that may also increase appetite 

3. Sleep Helps You Fight Cravings and Make Healthy Choices

Lack of sleep actually alters the way your brain works. This may make it harder to make healthy choices and resist tempting foods. Sleep deprivation will actually dull activity in the frontal lobe of the brain. The frontal lobe is in charge of decision-making and self-control. 

In addition, it appears that the reward centers of the brain are more stimulated by food when you are sleep deprived Therefore, after a night of poor sleep, not only is that bowl of ice cream more rewarding, but you’ll likely have a harder time practicing self-control.

4. Poor Sleep Can Increase Your Calorie Intake

People who get poor sleep tend to consume more calories. A study of 12 men found that when participants were allowed only four hours of sleep, they ate an average of 559 more calories the following day, compared to when they were allowed eight hours. 

This increase in calories may be due to increased appetite and poor food choices, as mentioned above.However, it may also simply be from an increase in the time spent awake and available to eat. This is especially true when the time awake is spent being inactive, like watching television 

Furthermore, some studies on sleep deprivation have found that a large portion of the excess calories were consumed as snacks after dinner. Poor sleep can also increase your calorie intake by affecting your ability to control your portion sizes.

5. Poor Sleep May Decrease Your Resting Metabolism

Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the number of calories your body burns when you’re completely at rest. It’s affected by age, weight, height, sex and muscle mass. Research indicates that sleep deprivation may lower your RMR. It also seems that poor sleep can cause muscle loss. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does, so when muscle is lost, resting metabolic rates decrease.

6. Sleep Can Enhance Physical Activity

A lack of sleep can cause daytime fatigue, making you less likely and less motivated to exercise.In addition, you’re more likely to get tired earlier during physical activity.A study done on 15 men found that when participants were sleep-deprived, the amount and intensity of their physical activity decreased.

The good news is that getting more sleep may help improve your athletic performance. In one study, college basketball players were asked to spend 10 hours in bed each night for five to seven weeks. They became faster, their reaction times improved, their accuracy increased and their fatigue levels decreased.

7. It Helps Prevent Insulin Resistance

Poor sleep can cause cells to become insulin resistant. Insulin is a hormone that moves sugar from the bloodstream into your body’s cells to be used as energy.

When cells become insulin resistant, more sugar remains in the bloodstream and the body produces more insulin to compensate.The excess insulin makes you hungrier and tells the body to store more calories as fat. Insulin resistance is a precursor for both type 2 diabetes and weight gain.

Along with eating right and exercising, getting quality sleep is an important part of weight maintenance. Poor sleep dramatically alters the way the body responds to food. For starters, your appetite increases and you are less likely to resist temptations and control portions.To make matters worse, it can become a vicious cycle. The less you sleep, the more weight you gain, and the more weight you gain, the harder it is to sleep.

On the flip side, establishing healthy sleep habits can help your body maintain a healthy weight.