You’ve probably heard quite a bit about stress and its effect on weight, but you may not be aware of the connection between sleep and weight loss. When you are sleep deprived, you will have a more difficult time losing weight, for a few important reasons:
- Sleep deprivation equals stress.
When you don’t get enough sleep, you naturally feel more stressed, so your body keeps producing more of the hormone cortisol, which contributes to the formation of fat, especially in the abdominal area. Have you ever noticed that you feel calm and balanced after a good night’s sleep? That can help you deal with daily stressors much more effectively and avoid storing more fat.
- Low serontonin levels.
Serotonin is produced by your body while you are sleeping, and if you don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis your serotonin levels will drop. As a result, you’ll be likely to crave sweets, feel stressed and irritable, and struggle with bouts of depression. You may also experience increased episodes of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). For easy weight loss, sleep is important just for the serotonin connection alone. Increasing your serotonin levels is as easy as making sure you get enough sleep each night. If you feel you still need more help beyond that, certain foods can help boost your serotonin levels, like oatmeal, and taking a B-vitamin supplement can also help.
- Emotional food cravings.
Have you ever noticed that you feel like comfort eating when you feel stressed or unhappy? That’s because being sleep deprived leaves you feeling depleted and out of balance, and eating something is one way to try and feel better. And of course you won’t reach for healthy foods – you’ll reach for the sugary, fattening kind that will stall your weight loss.
So, what can you do if you’re struggling to get enough sleep and weight loss is being affected?
If you suffer from insomnia, speak to your doctor about gentle sleep aids that might help, either over-the-counter products or a prescription. You can also try some natural sleep aids; one that’s well known is an herb called valerian root.
It also helps to shut off all electronic devices and dim the lights in your home about an hour before you go to bed; spend some time reading, meditating, or simply relaxing quietly.
Finally, make sure you are making sleep a high priority in your life. Make time for it each night, no matter how busy you are. If you have no choice but to reduce the number of hours you sleep most nights, at least try to make up for it with short cat naps whenever you can.
Sleep and natural weight loss are connected in many powerful ways, and you owe it to yourself to give your body what it needs to lose weight and achieve optimal health.
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