Pay attention to sleep when losing weight, staying up late will increase the risk of obesity

When it comes to losing weight, most people focus on diet and exercise. In fact, sleep is also very important for losing weight. Many studies have also shown that staying up late increases the risk of obesity.

There is increasing epidemiological evidence that short sleep duration is associated with obesity and weight gain. Adults who sleep five hours or less per night are 55% more likely to be obese than those who sleep more than five hours per night. Our daily sleep can regulate neuroendocrine function and metabolism. Lack of sleep can reduce glucose tolerance, reduce insulin sensitivity, increase nighttime cortisol concentrations, increase growth hormone releasing peptide levels, and increase people's appetite [1]. So when we stay up late, we will unconsciously consume extra food, which will lead to weight gain over time. Some people who stay up late to work need to stay awake and have active minds, so they drink some coffee, strong tea, etc. to stay awake, which is more likely to cause endocrine disorders and affect their condition the next day.

In addition, too little sleep will increase our fatigue and tiredness, and we will not have enough energy to participate in some physical activities during the day, which is not conducive to weight loss. Physical activity can regulate the insulin and leptin signaling pathways and reduce our appetite. Lack of sleep and rhythm disorders can also cause lipid metabolism disorders in the body, leading to weight gain [2].

So, what time is considered staying up late? Staying up late is an individual behavior, usually referring to not sleeping when you are sleepy. Each of us has different sleep needs and sleep times, so it is difficult to define staying up late with an absolute time point. Therefore, what time is considered staying up late depends on individual age, sleep needs, habits and other factors. Generally speaking, adults need to sleep 7-9 hours, and they need to ensure adequate, good and regular sleep. They should rest in time when they find themselves feeling sleepy.

Not only people who want to lose weight, but also normal people like us should try to avoid or reduce staying up late. So if you have to stay up late, how can you avoid gaining weight? If you want to eat when you stay up late, try to control the "amount" and "type" of intake. Try to change the habit of keeping yourself awake by eating, eat less high-calorie foods, and don't drink coffee, strong tea and other beverages. Don't go to bed directly after eating. Let the food digest for at least half an hour before resting to reduce the burden on the gastrointestinal tract. The speed of eating can also be slowed down for easier digestion. But it should be noted that if you stay up late for a long time, the accumulated fatigue and stress and damage to the body will be difficult to recover, so try to avoid staying up late.

In addition to increasing the risk of obesity, staying up late may also cause endocrine system disorders, decreased immune system function, decreased learning ability, short-term memory decline and various health problems. Some people think that after staying up late, they can sleep a little longer the next day to make up for the sleep. If it is just an occasional stay-up, the damage to the body is not great and can be recovered. But if you stay up late for a long time, many injuries are irreversible. Therefore, if you want to have a better body and mind, it is very important to maintain adequate and regular sleep.

References

[1] Chaput JP, Tremblay A. Insufficient sleep as a contributor to weight gain: An update. Current obesity reports, 2012, 1: 245-256

[2] Horne J. Obesity and short sleep: Unlikely bedfellows? Obesity reviews, 2011, 12: e84-e94