Taste Life Blog

Sleep Sleep Sleep! Holidays are here. Yes! Sleep affects your health more than you know! Take at look at these 5 reasons why you need to get your zzzzs.

1. Affects appetite.
   

   Ghrelin, a hormone secreted by the stomach makes you feel hungry.
   Leptin, another hormone, does the opposite. Sleep loss leads to more ghrelin and less leptin, which makes you crave more food.

2. Affects weight.

   Another study, the Nurses Health Study (of nearly 70,000 women), found women sleeping 5 or fewer hours per night were 32% more likely to experience major weight gain (33 lb+) and 15% more likely to become obese during the 16-year study period than the women who slept at least 7 hours per night.

3. Affects diabetes.

   When you miss sleep, the secretion of insulin is diminished which results in your blood sugar being higher.

4. Affects metabolism.

   Not enough sleep slows down your metabolic rate, making it really easy for you to gain weight.

5. Affects immunity.

   Adequate sleep builds a stronger immune system. Worried about the H1N1? Get some zzzzs.