Ever had a conversation like this?
“I really shouldn’t have that extra piece of cake… one slice won’t really hurt, right?”
Turns out, lack of sleep made you do it! Sleep deprivation is a little like being drunk. You just don’t have the mental clarity to make good complex decisions, specifically with regards to the foods you eat—or foods you want to avoid. This isn’t helped by the fact that when you’re overtired, you also have increased activity in the the reward region of your brain.
Sleep deprivation destroys all diets; think of the reward region of the brain as mind control—it makes you crave high-calorie foods like hot chips, chocolate and wine. Normally you might be able to fight off this desire, but because your insular cortex (another portion of your brain) is weakened due to sleep deprivation, you have trouble fighting the urge and are more likely to indulge in all the wrong foods.
And if all that wasn’t enough, research found that sleep deprivation makes you select greater portion sizes of all foods, further increasing the likelihood of weight gain.
The bottom line: Not enough sleep means you’re always hungry, reaching for bigger portions, and desiring every type of food that is bad for you—and you don’t have the proper brain functioning to tell yourself, “No!”
Get less than 7 hours sleep regularly and over 15 years you can expect to be 15kgs heavier for it !
The Answer: Head to bed early, You’ll need 7+ hours sleep to get out of the sleep deprivation cycle. Exercise, eat well and watch your body thrive. Before long you’ll be looking and feeling great!
xxx Nik & Karina