At the equivalent ration, some people are known to stay well in their bodies, while others get stuck over the years and feel stuck in their own bodies. The genetic heritage and the amount of physical activity practiced are certainly involved, but also the way each one pampered or, on the contrary, maltreated his organism . Starting with the number of hours of sleep it is given. Sleeping, in fact, does not just allow you to dream and relax. This is one of the keys to our silhouette and our health. When our mind floats in this delectable torpor, the body is the seat of an overflowing activity. The muscles evacuate the toxins, the skin regenerates itself, the immune defenses are reconstituted ... Other less well-known mechanisms are also at work, especially in the adipose tissue.
Lack of sleep: chasing toxins
"The night is the only time we escape the tyranny of insulin because our pancreas is at rest," says Dr. Laurent Philip Martinez *, nutritionist physician. During the day, when we are awake, the adipocytes store the reserves as triglycerides. But, being under the yoke of insulin, they are reluctant to squander them. Even when the body is lacking energy. While we are in the arms of Morpheus, they become much more permeable. "It's as if the door of the fat cells is wide open. It is as easy to store as to destock, "says Dr. Martinez. If our dinner brings fewer calories than those necessary for nocturnal metabolism (about 500 kcal to maintain in particular body temperature at 36 ° C for eight hours), our reserves are empty. As a result, we are losing weight and toxins, which is extremely difficult during the day, even with a lot of calories. Sleeping enough (at least seven hours a night) is therefore a detox and anticapiton weapon of choice. Especially since sleep deprivation also disrupts the appetite.
"Chaining the short nights alters the physiological signals of hunger and satiety," says Dr. Sylvie Royan-Parola **, psychiatrist president of the Morphée Network. According to a study from the University of Chicago, published in April 2012 in the American Journal of Human Biology, small sleepers actually see some of their disrupted hormonal secretions. Their stomach produces more ghrelin, a hormone that sharpens the attraction to foods high in sugar. In parallel, their adipocytes drop less leptin, a protein responsible for informing the brain of the state of available energy stocks. It is not easy in this case to be attentive to your needs and to harmonize your diet accordingly. Especially since by not staying sufficiently in bed, our adipocytes come into resistance.
Lack of sleep: avoid overweight
An experiment at the University of Chicago last October demonstrated this surprising relationship of cause and effect. The researchers forced seven healthy, weight-free adults to sleep less than five hours four nights in a row. Their physical activity and their caloric intake were imposed and closely controlled. A week later, their fat cells were screened. Verdict: they were 30% less efficient to store and release fat than before. In other words, the sleep deficit has tipped them into a state of prediabetes, as if the participants in the experiment had suddenly aged prematurely! The only way to turn things around is to get back on a fast track with hearty nights. Otherwise escalation to progressive weight gain and general metabolic disturbance is initiated.
Indeed, as demonstrated a few months ago by an American study, the longer the sleep restriction, the lower the resting metabolism. Hence a lesser possibility of night emptying of the adipocytes. "This decrease in metabolism night could result in an annual gain of more than five kilograms without changes in diet and physical activity," says Dr. Orfeu Buxton, neurophysiologist at the Sleep Medicine Center at the Boston hospital . This phenomenon is irreparably accompanied by an increase in the concentration of glucose in the blood after meals, and therefore an increased risk of diabetes. A vicious circle in which better not to fall. No need to panic if your sleep is difficult and your nights are choppy. It is possible to find restful sleep without resorting to sleeping pills. No tonic sports (tennis, jogging ...) or coffee or soda after 17 hours. Similarly, turn off your screens (computers, game consoles ...) at least an hour before slipping under the duvet because they keep the brain in a state of vigilance. And in case of significant stress , a bath with four drops of essential oils of lavandin and bergamot will help you relieve the pressure. But not more than 36 ° C, otherwise the body warms up and sleep is delayed.
* Author of losing weight during his sleep (Ed Albin Michel).
** Author of How to find sleep by oneself (Ed Odile Jacob).
