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You know it's important, here's why exactly.
We all know that sleep is good for us. We get told that 7-8 hours is a must. Well, it’ s not as easy as that I say. If you are reading this and think that I am going to have a go at you for not sleeping enough, you are wrong! You see we get told to aim for 8 hours a day as the norm. Whilst this is great in a perfect world, it isn’t exactly that easy in reality. But thankfully, you are saved!
Research has shown that sleep quality is just as, if not more, important than sleep quantity. So if you are able to even sleep 7 hours, or pushing 6, then please make sure you get a deep sleep where you don’t wake up through the night. I average between 6-7 hours per night due to my lifestyle, but when I do sleep, I ensure my room is pitch black, I remove distractions and put my phone away.
But what happens if you are struggling to sleep or are a little wild and prefer to stay up late into the night?
You might have heard about a stress-hormone called Cortisol. It gets released in moments of fear & that fight or flight response – but, it is also good for us as it can help with inflammation and equip us better to deal with moments of stress.
That being said, it can not remain elevated all the time as it can suppress appetite, in some cases lead to severe hunger pangs and mess about with blood sugar levels. It affects our mood, affects the way food is absorbed and doesn’t allow for effective weight loss as losing fatty tissue becomes compromised. Due to our bodies having a poor nights sleep, we will end up eating a lot more that day to possibly compensate for the lack of recovery due to poor sleep.
Also, various studies have shown that insulin sensitivity can be reduced by up to 30% if you get a poor night's sleep. What does this mean? It means that you may not handle carbs well that day. That being said, I don’t mean that one poor night will break your body. I’m talking about constant sleep-deprivation & late nights. If you continue in this manner, then yes, your ability to handle carbs effectively will be impaired. Simple.
When you take in carbs, you produce more insulin to help shuttle nutrients around the body. It is important to note here that Insulin is released in small amounts when you take in non-carb based foods also, it’s just that more is produced when you take in carbohydrates. When Insulin is functioning well, fat cells remove fatty acids and lipids from your bloodstream and it can prevent the storage of fat. When you become more insulin resistant (difficulty getting them around your body),µ fats then circulate in your blood and pump out more unnecessary insulin. Eventually, this excess insulin ends up storing fat in all the wrong places, and this my dear readers is exactly how you become fat.
Getting enough quality sleep ensures you handle food well, allows your body to be ready to burn fat (once calories are taken care off), gives you more energy for intense workouts.
If you are sleep-deprived or get a horrible sleep on night, do NOT work out that day. Scale it back and just take the day off to focus on food instead. Cortisol will already be heightened and the last thing you need is to add another stress in the form of exercise to your body. We will only burn fat effectively if we achieve a good balance of sleep, diet & exercise – full stop.
Make sense?
