Sleep research indicates that the quantity and quality of your sleep affect a balance of hormones that influence your appetite. A sleepless night is often followed by a day in which no matter how much you eat, you do not feel satisfied. This effect may be the result of the roles played by two hormones affected by sleep, ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract and stimulates appetite. Leptin is produced by fat cells and sends a signal to the brain when you feel full. A lack of sleep decreases leptin production, causing a lack of satisfaction when you eat. In addition, lack of sleep also increases ghrelin production, which stimulates your appetite. The combination can lead to overeating and weight gain. A study conducted jointly by Stanford and the University of Wisconsin showed that of 1,000 volunteers, those who slept less than 8 hours a night had lower levels of leptin, higher levels of ghrelin, and higher body fat. Levels of body fat seemed to correlate with the amount of sleep; those that slept least had the highest levels of body fat. In another study sleep deprivation increased the desire for carbohydrate-rich, high-calorie foods as much as 45%.

Unfortunately, as in most cases involving health issues, the connection between sleep and weight gain may not be so simple. The picture is complicated by a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea. People with obstructive sleep apnea may stop breathing for up to a minute during their sleep. These disruptions in breathing prevent you from getting deep sleep. Eight hours of sleep can feel more like four, leaving you feeling tired all day. People with sleep apnea tend to be overweight or obese but do not have the low levels of leptin that you would expect with being overweight and sleep deprived.

Researchers feel that levels of these hormones are not the only important factor in weight gain. It appears that response to leptin varies tremendously from individual to individual. Environment, dietary habits, exercise patterns, stress levels, and genetics all influence the production of leptin and our response to it. While there is much confusion, experts agree that combining healthy eating habits with a few more hours sleep cannot harm weight loss efforts. You may feel less hungry with less cravings for high-carbohydrate, high-calorie foods. One researcher states that when a person is not as tired, they don't need to rely on sweets and carbohydrates to keep them awake, which reduces the amount of calories they are consuming.

Reference: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/lose-weight-while-sleeping.

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