Sleeping well is the cornerstone of good health.
You think better and your mood and energy are elevated after a good night’s rest.
But things go haywire pretty quickly when you’re not getting enough sleepincluding yourmetabolic health.
Sleep plays a sneakily important role in how your body uses and stores energy.
So, say you always eat an apple in the morning.
Over time this impaired blood sugar control may lead to consistently elevated blood glucosea risk factor for diabetes.
But short sleep duration on its own is also a risk factor for diabetes.
It ramps up your appetite
Not sleeping well directly messes with yourhunger hormones: leptin and ghrelin.
Specifically, inadequatesleep decreases leptin9, the hormone that signals to the brain that you’re full.
At the same time, ghrelin levels (the hormone that stimulates hunger) increase.
This can prompt an increase in appetite and cravings that make maintaining a healthy weight more challenging.
Studies show that people who sleep less areheavier snackers10and opt for high-calorie foods, for example.
Sufficient sleep is needed to help regulate these hunger hormones and make it easier to select healthful foods.
It can stress your body out
Sleep and stress sharesimilar pathways in the body12.
It’s a vicious cycle that’s disruptive to your health.
Let’s dig into why this happens:Cortisolis a hormone that’s released when you’re under stress.
So fat mass increases, and lean muscle mass decreases, whichslows your metabolism.
It lowers your energy to exercise
Exercise benefits your metabolic health15in so many ways.
But if you’re tired, exerting yourself physically may not sound enticing.
While there are many reasons you may feel fatigued, sleep could very well be a contributing factor.
How much sleep do you need?
The general recommendation is to sleep betweenseven and nine hours a night17for optimal health.
That said, everyone’s ideal sleep range is different.
And women often needslightly more sleep than men21.
So it’s important to learn (and respect)how much sleepyouneedeach night to feel your best.
So most of us have room for improvement.
Taking steps to improvebothareas of health can have a profound ripple effect on your overall well-being.
