THE IMPACT OF SLEEP ON APPETITE, ENERGY, AND MUSCLE GROWTH

A situation we are all familiar with is getting a poor night’s sleep and spending the entirety of the next day feeling extra hungry and reaching for easily accessible high calorie food. We are low on energy with no motivation to exercise. This could be the norm for some people with no regard to how their lack of sleep is truly impacting their day to day life and their health. 

It’s no secret that life is easier when we are well rested; we have more energy to prepare our own food and get off the couch to get some exercise, as well as our emotions being in check.

It is suggested that we get a minimum of 7-9 hours of sleep each night due to the incredibly significant effects sleep has on our health. Below, I will discuss just a few examples of why sleep should be at the forefront of our priorities.

Sleep plays a large role in the balance of hormones called Leptin and Ghrelin. In simplest terms, Leptin is responsible for making us feel full and Ghrelin tells our brain we need to eat/we are hungry. When we sleep, Leptin levels increase, telling our brains we have enough energy and there’s no reason to eat. When we don’t get enough sleep, we don’t have high enough Leptin levels which makes our bodies think we don’t have enough energy to meet our needs (we get energy via calories).

During sleep, our Ghrelin levels decrease because we don’t need to use as much energy as we do when we’re awake. When we don’t get enough sleep, we end up with more Ghrelin and it signals that we are hungry and need more calories for energy. 

A lack of sleep therefore leads to a decrease in hormones that tell us we are full and have enough energy to sustain our body’s needs and an increase in hormones that (falsely) tell us we’re hungry and need to consume more energy to fulfill our body’s energy requirements.

When we are low on sleep, it can often be due to the business of our lives. A busy lifestyle can cause stress and anxiety, but what’s worse is that a lack of sleep also increases the stress hormone cortisol, often making an already difficult period in our life seemingly more stressful.

Lower energy levels due to poor sleep can determine our activity levels. It’s no surprise that if we feel tired we would rather sit on the couch (probably with some snacks) than exercise. An increase in calorie consumption without an increase in activity levels is associated with poor sleep quality. 

For those who have made an effort to resistance train regularly (by this I mean 2-3X week at a minimum), sleep is a significant part in your muscle building quest and helps with muscle recovery and repair. Dietary protein helps with muscle repair and muscle growth (see my Blog Post #1: The Importance of Protein for Fat Loss and Muscle Gain) but our bodies also produce another muscle building hormone, Human Growth Hormone (HGH). Many critical restorative functions such as tissue repair and muscle growth happen mostly when we are asleep. Without adequate sleep, we are doing our body and all of our hard work an injustice because we do not give it the proper time to recover.

As we now know, sleep is not something to be overlooked or even looked down upon for being a priority in our lives. Adequate sleep is necessary for appetite control, energy levels, muscle growth and so much more. When we prioritize sleep, we set ourselves up for healthy, functioning, strong, energized bodies.

Thank you for reading! Blogs are updated every Sunday, so be sure to check back to learn more on fitness, nutrition, and healthy living!

Cherney, Stephanie Watson and Kristeen. “11 Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Body.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 1 May 2019, www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body#1.

Layton, Julia. “Is a Lack of Sleep Making Me Fat?” HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 28 June 2018, science.howstuffworks.com/life/sleep-obesity1.htm.

National Sleep Foundation. “How Sleep Adds Muscle.” Sleep.org, 2019, www.sleep.org/articles/how-sleep-adds-muscle/.

National Sleep Foundation. “How Sleep Satisfaction Affects Your Energy Level Throughout the Day.” National Sleep Foundation, 2019, www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/why-improving-your-sleep-satisfaction-can-increase-your-energy-level?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%2Bnsfalert%2B%28Newsletter%2B-%2BNSF%2BAlert%29.