I've noticed that when I sleep only 5-6 hours because of work, I start gaining weight even though I eat normally. But when I get enough sleep, the kilos come off. Is this a coincidence or does sleep actually affect metabolism?
It's not a coincidence. My friend went through something similar - she was working shifts, sleeping in fits and starts, and noticed that even with the same diet, her weight kept creeping up. Then she got her schedule sorted, started sleeping properly, and things changed. Turns out that sleep deprivation really does mess with your metabolism and hormonal balance. When you sleep too little, cortisol goes up - that's the stress hormone that makes your body hold onto energy and store fat. Plus your leptin and ghrelin regulation suffers, which are the hormones that control satiety and hunger. So in the end, you eat more and process calories worse, even if you don't realize it's happening.
Your observation is completely valid. When you're sleeping 5-6 hours, your body doesn't get time to recover, stays stressed, and your metabolism slows down. And you're more likely to reach for quick carbs and coffee to make up for the tiredness - that adds to it too. But when you actually get proper sleep (around 7-9 hours), your hormonal balance straightens out, your metabolism speeds up, and your weight normalizes even without changing what you eat.
If you want to lose weight or maintain it, sleep isn't a luxury - it's a necessary part of being healthy, just like food and exercise. Maybe it's worth rethinking your work schedule, or at least arranging things so you can catch up on sleep on weekends?
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