IF you’ve got a jam-packed schedule then it can be easy to push your bedtime back.
But one expert has warned that keeping yourself from slumber is a bad idea.
DrKaranr/tiktokDr Karan Rajan explained why getting enough sleep is keuy[/caption]
Posting to TikTok, Dr Karan Rajan said you might be missing out on an important phase of sleep if this is something you do on a regular basis.
The NHS medic said: “The early part of the night is dominated by NREM (non rapid eye movement) sleep.
“This is important because NREM sleep includes the deeper restorative slow wave sleep that’s coupled with the biggest release of growth hormones in your 24 hours.”
Studies show that growth hormones are key when it comes to your weight – so getting enough sleep helps keep them in check.
In men, 70 per cent of growth hormone is released during slow wave sleep, Dr Rajan said.
“As the night goes on, the ratio of NREM to REM changes and you get progressively less NREM and more REM sleep.
“So if you delay your bedtime, you cut short the time you spend in slow wave sleep, so you get less of that juicy growth hormone,” he said.
Dr Rajan said that as you get older, into your 30s and 40s the total amount of growth hormone released in 24 hours decreases.
He said that the amount of slow wave sleep also decreases.
“This makes it even more important to go to bed at a similar time every day, so you can scoop up every last bit of growth hormone,” he added.
How can it help with weight?
Growth hormones help increase lean body mass, while also reducing fat mass, experts at the University of Oxford state.
Previous studies have found that growth hormones can help you lose fat – which is why it’s important that you replenish these stores through sleep.
In a paper published by medics at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Korea, experts found that low dose growth hormone treatment with a balanced diet could accelerate fat loss by 1.6 per cent in adults.
They also found that those with more of this hormone had a greater loss of visceral fat than those who were given a placebo.
Another study, published by experts at the University of Denmark, stated that short sleep appears to be strongly associated with obesity and altered metabolic function.
Growth hormones are released when you sleep, with the pulses being based off of your body clock, researchers at the Department of International Medicine in Canada said.
Studies have shown that inadequate sleep can reduce the amount of the hormone in your body – leading to weight gain.
The NHS states that adults need between seven and nine hours sleep each night.