Study: Lack of sleep can lead to obesity! If you want to lose weight, how many hours should you sleep every day?

Sleeping too little at night will not only make you feel tired and sleepy the next day, but it may also affect your figure! Foreign studies have found that long-term lack of sleep can easily lead to obesity. Many people go on a diet to lose weight, but ignore the importance of a normal schedule, which may lead to an increasingly thick waistline.

Sleeping too little may make you fat, and a moderate amount of sleep is healthier

The Daily Mail reported that the University of Leeds in the UK conducted a study on 1,615 adults, measuring their weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, and recording their sleep time and diet. They also took blood tests.

The results showed that people who slept only 6 hours a night on average had a waist circumference 3 cm larger than those who slept 9 hours a night, indicating that lack of sleep may lead to an increase in waist circumference.

"We found that adults who sleep less are more likely to be overweight and obese, so our study highlights the importance of adequate sleep," said the researchers. "The amount of sleep each person needs is different, but the general consensus is that 7 to 9 hours of sleep a day is best for most adults."

This study did not explore why lack of sleep causes weight gain, but past studies have shown that lack of sleep can easily cause the body to secrete excessive amounts of the "hunger hormone" (ghrelin), leading to increased appetite.

In addition, shorter sleep may lead to a decrease in the level of "good cholesterol" in the blood; past studies have found that good cholesterol helps protect the body and reduce the risk of diseases such as heart disease.

This research has been published in the journal PLOS ONE.

How many centimeters of waist circumference is considered healthy? The next page will tell you!

Waistline fat is more important for cardiovascular disease

According to the data from the "Obesity Prevention and Control Network" of the National Health Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, waist circumference can reflect the amount of abdominal fat, and the fat tissue accumulated in the abdomen will affect the body's metabolism, leading to increased blood triglyceride levels and blood sugar, and increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Therefore, the National Health Administration recommends that men's waist circumference should be less than 90 cm and women's waist circumference should be less than 80 cm to help maintain health.

Healthy way to lose weight, don't forget to get enough sleep

People are reminded that if they want to lose weight, they should maintain a normal schedule, a balanced diet, regular exercise, and a cheerful mood. Do not use unbalanced nutritional methods such as not eating starch and only eating protein to lose weight, so as not to affect the endocrine system. Instead, they may fall into a vicious cycle of gaining weight again, which is not good for their health.