Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard before that not getting enough sleep is bad for you. It makes you a lot less productive at work, gets you into a pretty bad mood which can lead to arguments with people you probably don't mean to argue with, AND it can lead to health issues like obesity and type 2 diabetes. Well, a new study is saying that it's even worse than all that: just a couple nights of sleep deprivation can actually metabolically age you by 10-20 years, which means that your fat cells become SUPER groggy and you don't lose weight—even if you're eating healthy!
Read more ¿Qué más? Get enough sleep and lose weight!
A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has found what may be a key piece in the puzzle of why not sleeping "can affect blood sugar levels, hormones that control appetite, and even the brain's perception of high-calorie foods," according to CNN.com.
Apparently, according to the study, "sleep deprivation impairs the ability of fat cells to respond to insulin, a hormone that regulates metabolism and is involved in diabetes." During the study, researchers controlled the participants' meals and calorie intake but found that those people's fat cells dropped to levels that are "typically seen in people who are obese or who have diabetes." Basically, not getting enough sleep makes your body act just as lazy as if you were extremely overweight! YIKES!
Read more ¿Qué más? OH NO! Sleeping in on weekends could be bad for your health
Mind you, I'm reading this study even as I didn't get enough sleep last night. No wonder I'm craving lots of carbs and don't feel like working out today! It's scary and slightly annoying to admit it but getting a good night's rest is pretty much the #1 thing you can do for your body, especially in terms of weight loss and feeling good. And I know one thing for sure: it's going to be a full 8-9 hours of sleep for me tonight!
Image via Thinkstock