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Poor
Sleep
Makes
You
Fat,
Lowers
Testosterone
Who
wants
to
gradually
gain
fat,
lose
muscle,
and
have
no
sex
drive?
Not
us!
Here’s
a
common
problem
that
causes
all
those
things.
Have
you
noticed
that
when
you
get
a
crappy
night
of
sleep
you
tend
to
have
cravings
and
eat
more
the
next
day?
You’re
not
imagining
it.
One
meta-analysis
found
that
when
people
don’t
get
enough
sleep,
they
eat
around
385
more
calories
the
following
day.
It’s
caused
by
“partial
sleep
deprivation,”
which
means
you
slept
but
only
about
4-5
total
hours.
What
Causes
This?
There
are
a
couple
of
theories:
Partial
sleep
deprivation
causes
the
reward
centers
of
the
brain
to
get
more
active.
In
this
case,
the
reward
is
fattening
foods.
Disruption
of
the
internal
body
clock
affects
the
regulation
of
leptin
(the
satiety
hormone)
and
ghrelin
(the
hunger
hormone).
Get
those
out
of
whack
and
you’ll
be
reaching
for
extra
snacks.
Lack
of
sleep
gives
you
the
munchies
like
weed.
Erin
Hanlon,
PhD,
notes:
“Sleep
restriction
boosts
a
signal
that
may
increase
the
hedonic
aspect
of
food
intake,
the
pleasure
and
satisfaction
gained
from
eating.
It
augments
the
endocannabinoid
system,
the
same
system
targeted
by
the
active
ingredient
of
marijuana,
to
enhance
the
desire
for
food
intake.”
Interestingly,
most
of
the
subjects
in
these
studies
didn’t
go
for
carbs
as
you’d
expect,
but
more
dietary
fats.
They
also
consumed
less
protein
when
sleep-deprived.
Partial
Sleep
Deprivation
Also
Kills
Testosterone
Other
studies
found
that
when
healthy
young
men
sleep
5
hours
or
less
per
night
for
a
week,
their
testosterone
levels
drop.
Five
hours
of
sleep
per
night
decreased
subjects’
testosterone
levels
by
10
to
15
percent
in
one
study,
and
these
guys
were
in
their
early
20s.
Testosterone
is
primarily
produced
during
sleep,
mostly
during
the
REM
stage.
Sleep
deprivation
also
elevates
cortisol.
Elevated
cortisol
levels
suppress
T
production
by
inhibiting
the
release
of
gonadotropin-releasing
hormone
(GnRH)
from
the
hypothalamus
and
luteinizing
hormone
(LH)
from
the
pituitary
gland,
both
crucial
for
testosterone
production.
Chronic
sleep
deprivation
has
even
been
linked
to
impaired
testicular
function.
It
causes
your
balls
to
atrophy
in
extreme
cases.
The
Mineral
Fix
If
sleep
evades
you
and
you’d
rather
not
have
a
bigger
gut
and
smaller
testicles,
consider
supplementing
with
chelated
magnesium
(Buy
at
Amazon).
This
mineral
kills
two
birds
with
one
stone:
Most
people
with
insomnia
are
magnesium
deficient.
Magnesium
regulates
the
neurotransmitters
important
for
sleep.
Correcting
a
magnesium
deficiency
increases
your
levels
of
natural
melatonin.
Many
people
take
melatonin,
which
helps
for
a
short
period,
but
it’s
often
a
magnesium
deficiency
at
the
root
of
their
sleep
problem.
Magnesium
also
relaxes
your
muscles
and
calms
your
nervous
system,
essential
for
good
sleep.
Magnesium
is
involved
in
several
enzymatic
reactions
necessary
for
testosterone
synthesis.
In
one
study,
athletes
saw
a
24%
boost
in
free
testosterone
after
taking
magnesium
for
four
weeks.
(In
that
same
study,
the
sedentary
subjects
saw
a
15%
boost
in
T.)
Magnesium
deficiencies
are
also
linked
to
inflammation,
oxidative
stress,
and
insulin
resistance,
all
of
which
can
affect
testosterone
levels.
Always
use
the
chelated
form
of
magnesium,
which
is
better
absorbed.
Elitepro
Vital
Minerals
(Buy
at
Amazon)
contains
400
mg
of
chelated
magnesium
along
with
other
minerals
essential
for
good
health
and
athletic
performance.
References
Al
Khatib
HK
et
al.
“The
effects
of
partial
sleep
deprivation
on
energy
balance:
a
systematic
review
and
meta-analysis.”
Eur
J
Clin
Nutr.
2017
May;71(5):614-624.
PubMed:
27804960.
RLeproult
R
et
al.
“Effect
of
1
Week
of
Sleep
Restriction
on
Testosterone
Levels
in
Young
Healthy
Men.”
JAMA.
2011
Jun
1;305(21):2173-4.
PubMed:
21632481.
Hanlon
EC
et
al.
“Sleep
Restriction
Enhances
the
Daily
Rhythm
of
Circulating
Levels
of
Endocannabinoid
2-Arachidonoylglycerol.”
Sleep.
2016
Mar
1;39(3):653-64.
PubMed:
26612385.
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