Why it’s better to sleep than go to the gym!

CAIRO – 5 February 2018: The right amount of sleep fluctuates between individuals based on their lifestyles and mental needs. Therefore, physicians recommend seven to nine hours of sleep for adults. Both exercising and sufficient sleep are required for a healthy life.


Insufficient sleep has been linked to higher body fat percentage, according to Dr. Guy Meadow’s comments to Cosmopolitan. "Sleeping less than seven to eight hours per night is linked to higher percent body fat. Research suggests that people who [sleep] six hours per night [on average] are 27 percent more likely to be overweight," he says. "Those who [sleep] five hours per night [on average] are 73 percent more likely to be overweight," the doctor adds.


The weight gain process is also related to two hormones: Ghrelin which regulates the appetite, and Leptin which tells us when to stop eating. Little and poor sleep causes Ghrelin to increase and Leptin levels to decrease which results into constantly feeling hungry and eating more which leads to weight gain and eventually higher body fat.





“Research suggests that poor sleep causes us to choose higher calorific food. Scientists from Uppsala University in Sweden demonstrated that sleep deprived individuals select foods that are on average nine percent higher in calories than when in a rested state," stated Dr. Meadows. It has also been found that the lack of sleep increases belly fat the most.


"During sleep, muscle tissue repairs and new cells are regenerated, therefore sleep deprivation is the enemy of building that all-important fat burning muscle mass," adds nutritionist Lily Soutter.


Sleep has to be a priority since it is more important than working out. Actually, poor sleep doesn’t only motivate us to eat junk food; it affects our decision-making abilities; leading us to take poor or harmful decisions. Studies have also found that lack of sleep eventually lowers IQ levels and generally impairs the daily learning process.


Sleep deprivation counts as one of the biggest problems among teens and young adults. It also leads to serious health problems including strokes, diabetes, heart attacks, hypertension, and many others. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated that more than 100,000 car accidents and 1,250 auto-related deaths have been related to sleep deprivation.