You have doubtless heard rather a lot about stress and its effect on weight, but you may not be aware of the linkage between sleep and weight loss. When you are sleep deprived, you’ll have a more tricky time shedding pounds, for three 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, particularly in the stomach area. Have you ever observed that you are feeling calm and balanced after a sound night’s rest? That good night’s sleep will help you deal with daily stressors much better and help you 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 consistent basis your serotonin levels will drop. As a consequence, you will be certain to want sweets, feel a little bit stressed and irritable, and grapple with rounds of depression. You will also experience increased episodes of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). For easy weight loss, sleep is critical only for the serotonin connection alone. Raising your serotonin levels is as easy as ensuring you get sufficient sleep each night. If you happen to feel you still require more help beyond that, certain foods can help raise your serotonin levels, like oatmeal, and taking a B-vitamin supplement can also help.
– Emotional food cravings.
Have you ever noticed that you’re feeling like comfort eating when you feel stressed or sad? That is due to the fact that being sleep deprived leaves you feeling depleted and misaligned, and eating something is one way to try and feel a little bit better. And of course you won’t reach for healthy foods – you will reach for the sweet, fattening kind that will stall your weight loss.
So , what are you able to do if you are attempting to get sufficient sleep and weight loss is being affected?
If you have sleeplessness, talk to your doctor about mild sleep aids that might help, either over the counter products or a prescription. You can try some natural sleep aids; one that’s widely known is an herb called valerian root.
It can also help to shut off all electric devices and dim the lights in your home about an hour before going to bed; spend some time reading, meditating, or just relaxing silently.
Eventually, ensure you are making sleep a high priority in your life. Make time for it each night, regardless of how busy you are. If you have no choice but to reduce the amount of hours you sleep most nights, at least try and make up for it with short cat naps whenever you can.
Sleep and weight loss are connected in numerous vital ways and you owe it to oneself to give your body what it needs to lose weight and achieve ideal health.
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