You know that eating well and exercising go hand in hand for weight management, but what about sleeping? Have you ever thought that sleep deprivation might be thwarting your weight loss efforts? Current re­search shows that sleep has several profound effects on your body’s hormones and metabolism.

First, sleep restriction increases your body’s cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone and elevated levels of this hormone promote fat storage. Obesity typically increases cortisol, while weight loss typically de­creases cortisol.

This increase in cortisol as a result of sleep deprivation could promote increased fat storage.

Next, sleep restriction mirrors certain characteristics of Type 2 diabetes. Individuals with this condition produce insulin, but their insulin is not effective at pulling carbohydrates (glucose) from the blood into the cells. This is often referred to as “insulin resistance” and results in high blood sugar. Since sleep-deprived individuals exhibit a similar insulin resistance, it is believed that lack of sleep can increase the risk for Type 2 diabetes.

Finally, sleep deprivation increases your appetite by several mechanisms. At the most basic level, individuals tend to eat more when they are sleeping less, simply because there is more time in the day to eat.

Tired individuals also tend to combat exhaustion by eating more food. An example would be a person who works the “graveyard” shift. They tend to eat for energy to make it through the night.

Most recently, research has revealed that a lack of sleep also affects two hormones that regulate hunger and satiety. Sleep restriction increases ghrelin and decreases leptin. Ghrelin is a hormone that increases before meals and falls after eating, so it is believed to stimulate appetite. The opposing hormone, leptin, suppresses appetite and increases metabolism. Because the lack of sleep increases ghrelin (appetite) and decreases leptin (satiety and metabolism), you are more likely to overeat ad gain weight if you aren’t sleeping enough.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average American sleeps an average of 6.9 hours per night compared to the recommended eight hours needed for good health. In fact, only 37 percent of Americans get the recommended eight hours per night.

If you consistently have trouble getting eight hours of sleep per night, you should consult your doctor. Otherwise, this winter is the perfect time to start getting your Zs. It’s healthy, and it may even help you lose a few extra pounds.

(Information source: Nadia Rodman, RD, Diet­itian for Curves Intern­ational and my curves.com.)