Editor’s Note: This is a Guest Post from Elizabeth at Living the Nourished Life.

Few of us put sleep on the pedestal where it belongs. We all know a lack of sleep can make us feel groggy and unfocused the next day, but in reality the impact of sleep problems goes much deeper. Sleep has a direct and powerful impact on our metabolic health.

When we understand the influence sleep has on metabolic and hormonal function, it ís much easier to realise why sleep needs to be prioritised in our lives.

6 Reasons Sleep Can Impact Your Metabolic Health

1) Sleep Problems Predict Metabolic Syndrome

Do you have trouble falling asleep? Trouble staying asleep? Do you snore? People who experience these sleep problems are far more likely to suffer from symptoms of metabolic syndrome (high triglycerides, high blood sugar, excess abdominal fat and high blood pressure) says one study. This connection will likely be the focus of more research in the future.

2) Sleep Depravity Can Induce Insulin Resistance

There’s a camp who thinks that insulin resistance is all about carbs. However, insulin sensitivity is also affected by other factors. How much sleep we get directly affects the way we handle insulin. Research has shown that just a few nights of bad sleep can induce insulin resistance in young, healthy individuals. If you want to improve your insulin sensitivity, sleep is a must-have on your priority list.

3) Sleep Affects Your Cortisol Levels

Getting eight hours of sleep every night is one of the best ways to regulate stress hormones like cortisol. Although getting your rest at night is best, making up for lost hours by taking a nap during the day can still help normalize your cortisol levels. Since high cortisol can cause a myriad of health problems (like elevated blood sugar, food cravings, high blood pressure, mood swings, irritability, acne, muscle loss, and more), keeping cortisol in the normal range is pertinent for good health.

4) Lack of Sleep Can Make You Fat

I knew that would get your attention. Yup, sleep can directly impact your waistline. And don’t take my word for it. Research agrees: the less sleep you get, the more likely you are to be overweight or obese. Getting less than eight hours per night is associated with a higher body fat percentage. This may be largely explained by the fact that sleep directly affects the hormones that influence our appetite and fat storage mechanisms (like cortisol, leptin and insulin).

5) Quality Sleep Can Prevent Cancer

Researchers found that women who were physically active were less likely to get cancer if they got at least seven hours of sleep at night. Read more about the study here. Cancer is a degenerative disease greatly influenced by metabolic function in the body. The fact that a lack of sleep is associated with an increased cancer risk is just one more reason to connect sleep with metabolic health.

6) Sleep Promotes Growth Hormone Production

Both quality and quantity of sleep can affect growth hormone production. If you don’t get enough sleep, or if your sleep is restless or broken, growth hormone production will decline. Growth hormone is vital for maintaining appropriate levels of body fat, muscle mass and bone mass. Lack of growth hormone can also impact your moods, causing you to feel listless and tired.

Putting It All Together: Sleep and Metabolic Health in Perspective

Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that the body functions as a whole. Sleep can obviously impact metabolic health, but metabolic health impacts sleep as well. So it’s sort of a chicken or egg issue. But in the end it doesn’t really matter what started the vicious cycle of sleep depravity and metabolic dysfunction, it’s just important that you start addressing the issue at some level.

Taking steps to improve your sleep and adjusting your sleep habits will likely influence your metabolic function in a positive way. Likewise, addressing other factors that impact metabolic health (such as diet, exercise and stress levels) will also make it easier to achieve great quality sleep.

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Elizabeth Walling is an independent health researcher and freelance writer. She enjoys thinking outside of the box and challenging common myths about health and wellness on her blog The Nourished Life.

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