How is fat burn or weight loss connected to sleep?
There is a protein hormone called Leptin in our bodies which is produced mainly by fat cells. In simple terms, it is your fat-burning hormone whose primary job is to go up to the brain and tell it to burn fat. A scientific study now shows that sleep, circadian rhythm, and sleep disorders all affect leptin concentrations in blood. What it means is that if you are not sleeping enough you are probably leptin resistant. Think of it like this – you are fat and your brain can burn that fat but isn’t able to see that you are fat and therefore it doesn’t.
How can you kick yourself out of leptin resistance?
- You need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every day to stay healthy and not be leptin-resistant. When you sleep for 5 hours or less, your leptin levels start rising. So, if you cannot do 7 to 9 hours at least make sure you get 5 hours of sleep every night
- Keep your curtains open: When you wake up in the morning, if your curtains are not drawn and the red light from the sun comes in then leptin slowly starts going down
- Consistency of Sleep: Sleeping at the same time and waking up is the most important thing when it comes to sleep. A study by a professor at Stanford Medical School states that inconsistency in sleep is more damaging to the neurons in the brain than getting less sleep
So, the takeaway here is that sleep and wake up at the same time. And wake up to red light or sunlight. And now for the women out there, yes sleep is connected to your menstrual cycle. Watch the video for more details.