Studies reveal that putting sleep as a priority and keeping regular bedtimes may have advantages beyond just feeling rested. Learn how it may affect your appetite, weight, insulin resistance, metabolism, and insulin sensitivity.
Not only will staying up late affect your energy levels the following day, but it may also affect your weight and perhaps raise your risk of acquiring diabetes. According to a study in the journal Sleep, when people who work in shifts change their bedtimes, it has an effect on their metabolic health.
Did you know that your sleep is influenced by your metabolic health? I’ll examine this link in this piece. Before exploring how metabolic health relates to sleep, let me first define it. I’ll conclude by sharing some advice from professionals on raising both your metabolism and your sleep quality.
Please note that Consult your doctor or another qualified medical expert if you have any concerns about your health that might be related to sleep.
What is metabolic health?
Having an ideal level of triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and visceral fat (the most common form of body fat) is referred to as having good metabolic health. If you’re not familiar with all of these words, don’t worry. This article explains how your metabolic health affects your ability to sleep.
Hormones, organs, and enzymes all work together as part of our body’s metabolism to break down, absorb, process, move, and eliminate vital nutrients. The liver serves as the hub of the body’s metabolism. Other key players in metabolism include the parathyroid (located behind the thyroid and responsible for controlling calcium and phosphorus levels), the thyroid, and the adrenal gland.
The method your body uses to burn calories and use energy is called metabolism. In order to turn food into energy that we can use throughout the day, our metabolisms are always at work. Your “metabolic speed” is inherited genetically; some people have what is known as a quick metabolism, while others have a slow metabolism.
A quick metabolism is really about two things, The first is how efficiently your metabolic organs can burn the glucose that enters your body from digesting a meal. The second is that your body will burn fat for energy once you burn through the glucose swiftly; a body that burns glucose proficiently doesn’t need to store excess glucose as fat. Metabolic switching is a process that enables people to swiftly switch from burning sugar to burning fat.
Sleep and the Metabolism
The capacity of your body to control metabolism might be impacted by sleep disorders and sleep deprivation. One study found that getting little sleep, defined as fewer than 8 hours in bed, can make metabolic illnesses worse. Sleep problems including narcolepsy, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can make you more susceptible to metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Sometimes back pain can be the reason for not getting enough sleep at night. If you’re struggling from back pain issues, then sleep experts recommend to buy orthopedic mattress online. A right orthopedic mattress offers pressure point relief and its medium firmness offers enough support to combat your lower back pain.
Tips for a Healthier Metabolism and Better Sleep
Your ability to sleep may be impacted by disorders that arise from an unhealthy metabolism. For example, type 2 diabetes may contribute to sleeplessness. Obesity may also contribute to OSA, restless legs syndrome, and insomnia.
You can still get a good night’s sleep if your metabolism isn’t working properly. Let’s examine a few pointers for getting a restful night’s sleep.
Improve your metabolism
You can sleep better if your metabolism is healthier. Start with what and how much you eat to boost yours.
After at least 8 hours of fasting, your blood sugar (glucose) levels shouldn’t be higher than 100 mg; anything higher than this could signify a metabolism that isn’t optimal. Portioning your meals will assist you control your blood sugar. You can use the “plate method,” in which you place non-starchy veggies on half of your plate, a quarter of your plate with lean protein, and a quarter with grains or other starchy foods.
It is preferable to regularly consume less calories than to occasionally diet. Going on a diet that severely cuts your calorie intake might be detrimental since it raises your body’s production of ghrelin, sometimes known as the “hunger hormone.” This hormone is crucial in regulating your appetite. Your ghrelin levels rise when you drastically cut back on calories, making you crave more food. Once you stop dieting, this may lead to “rebounding” and weight gain.
You should add plant-based meals in your diet. This will help you maintain lower cholesterol levels, a smaller waist circumference, and lower blood sugar levels. Additionally, consuming fruits and vegetables to assist manage your blood sugar. You should also consume healthy fats because they reduce appetite.
You should stay away from any artificial flavours and colours, as well as red and blue dyes. Many of these substances block glucose and insulin receptor sites, causing weight loss resistance and poor metabolic health.
Choosing an eight- to ten-hour window during the day for eating is the greatest approach to increase metabolism. This is sometimes referred to as intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating. When your body fasts for a longer period of time, it heals itself more effectively, preventing harm from a slow metabolism.
Lower your body mass index (BMI)
A low BMI is one under 18.5, a healthy BMI is one between 18.5 and 24.9, and a high BMI is one between 25 and 29.9. Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or above, and morbid obesity as having a BMI of 40 or higher. Low and high BMIs are calculated using the population’s average. BMI is not a good measure of a person’s health because it doesn’t take into consideration a person’s frame and can vary based on whether you’re pregnant or have a high muscle mass.
However, there is a connection between having a higher BMI and getting less sleep than six hours. The opposite is also true: a higher BMI is associated with sleeping more than nine hours. Thus, getting a lower BMI may improve your sleep quality, and getting a lower BMI may result from getting more sleep.
You should attempt to consume five servings of fruit and vegetables each day, exercise every day, and avoid foods high in sugar if you want to lower your BMI. As I’ll explain, completing each of these can not only help you lose weight but also improve your sleep.
Avoid sugar and refined carbs
Your food needs to be healthy if you want to sleep better. There is a connection between our diet and how soundly we sleep. It has been demonstrated that a bad diet high in sugar, refined carbs, minimal fibre, and excessive saturated fat results in poor sleeping outcomes. Because they create crashes, which can lead people to search for more coffee, sugar and refined carbs consumed throughout the day can impair sleep at night.
Eat cherries, bananas, and oats
Natural melatonin can be found in oats, bananas, and cherries. This helps you sleep better. Additionally, bananas’ serotonin and magnesium help your body and mind unwind before night.
Eating well helps you sleep better because it helps prevent difficulties that keep you awake, like digestive problems and sudden spikes and falls in blood sugar.
Eating these items at least two hours before bed can help your body enter a parasympathetic state, which will help you sleep better. She explains that the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the relaxing nervous system, will help you get a deeper night’s sleep.
Exercise
Exercise boosts your metabolism, which benefits your sleep, blood pressure, body fat, weight, and other factors. You should engage in aerobic activity for at least two and a half hours per week. You should engage in exercises that increase your strength twice a week, such as lifting weights or using resistance bands.
Practice good sleep hygiene
If you follow a healthy diet and exercise frequently but are still having trouble falling asleep, you may not be practising good sleep hygiene. A person’s nighttime ritual, general sleep quality, and sleeping environment are all considered to be part of their sleep hygiene.
A few basic sleep hygiene practices include:
- Avoid eating large meals several hours before going to bed
- Meditate or read before bedtime
- If you read, stick with some relaxing material
- Try to stay away from difficult conversations at bedtime
Exercise helps you feel tired before bed, which is another benefit of practising excellent sleep hygiene. You probably won’t have trouble falling asleep if you exercise moderately immediately before night, but you should steer clear of intense workouts at least an hour before bed to give yourself plenty of time to unwind.
Creating a peaceful sleep environment is a big part of sleep hygiene. For that, we recommend these tips:
- Use a white noise machine to block out unwanted noises
- Keep your room dark by using blackout curtains
- Sleep on a comfortable mattress that is right for you, and takes into account your weight, shape, and preferred sleep position. You can buy luxury mattress online to create a peaceful yet stylish sleep environment that can help you to get the best slumber.
- Use an aromatherapy diffuser to provide relaxing smells
- Keep your room at a cool, comfortable temperature.
Conclusion
Some of the most effective methods for raising metabolism also promote restful sleep. Your sleep and metabolism can be improved by taking simple steps like limiting sweets and refined carbohydrates, eating oats and bananas early in the day, and walking afterward. And if you discover that you’re still having trouble sleeping, adopting appropriate sleep hygiene practices, including keeping your room dark, engaging in regular exercise, sleep on right mattress, and avoiding heavy meals several hours before bed, may be the answer.
