How Does Sleep Affect Metabolism?

Average Sleep Needed

In 1910, the average night's sleep was nine hours. In 1975, that average changed to seven and half hours a night. Today, people continue the pattern of seven and half hours or less. Shift workers average less than five hours each night. The reality is the average person needs a minimum of seven hours. Although, studies show the body works best with nine hours of sleep a night.

What Happens To the Body Metabolism During Sleep

During sleep, the body releases hormones. Growth hormone and melatonin are hormones that regulate your biological clock, benefit your body tissues, and work as antioxidants to help you fight off illness. Deep sleep also allows the body's cells to increase and reduce the breakdown of proteins needed for the body to function properly. When there is a lack of sleep, there is not enough growth hormone and melatonin released to rejuvenate the body and maintain normal functioning. You have difficulty thinking and are ineffective doing tasks. Your body also has less ability to perform basic metabolic functions such as processing and regulating carbohydrates. Your body also does not regulate hormone secretions.

What Happens to the Body When There is a Lack of Sleep

When your body does not receive enough sleep, hormones are increased such as the stress hormone called cortisol. The result is an increased appetite. Because the body lacks sleep, it has a difficult time metabolizing carbohydrates. This leads to high blood sugar levels, which then causes an increase in insulin. The increase in insulin is a signal to the body to store unused energy as fat. People who continue to have sleep deprivation have increased chances of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and memory loss. Basically, the body ages faster.

Considerations

Doctors urge people with diabetes to try to maintain a healthy sleep pattern. This will help with glucose control. For the average person, just one week of sleeping four-hour nights can start a drastic change in the body's metabolism causing a possible onset of the early stages of diabetes.
Studies have also found that sleeping in complete darkness is important for the release of melatonin. Melatonin is available as an over-the-counter supplement to treat insomnia or help with jet lag. The Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of melatonin supplements.