Sleep, diet and weight connection
Did you know that contrary to the popular belief, it is possible to lose weight by sleeping more? One of the things that may be slowing the weight loss process is a lack of sleep. Research suggests that getting at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night will help people lose weight and people can lose between 10 and 20 lbs. by getting more rest at night.
How sleep affects our weight?
Simply speaking, getting enough sleep helps people burn more calories at night and during the day.
Studies show that people who sleep less tend to weigh more, and were more likely to gain 30 pounds more than those who get more sleep. Sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on hormones that control appetite, cravings and the metabolism of fat. Two hormones ghrelin and leptin are important in particular. Ghrelin makes you hungry, and leptin tells you to stop eating when full. Without sleep, these hormones go out of balance. When you don't get enough sleep, hormone levels of leptin drop and decrease feelings of feeling satisfied after you eat during the day. Alternatively, not enough sleep causes ghrelin levels to rise, which in turn increase your appetite. Keep your ghrelin and leptin levels stable throughout the day by getting a restful night's sleep. During deep sleep, your brain also secretes a large amount of growth hormone that tells your body how to break down fat for fuel. If you deprive yourself of deep sleep, there isn't enough growth hormone to break down fat, so your body stores it in your butt, belly and thighs, or wherever you tend to put on weight. More sleep also means more energy, which will help you push yourself to work out longer, do more housecleaning or errands, or wake up at the right time. Not being exhausted every day is a huge contributor to maintaining a regular weight loss routine.
Tips on getting timely & sufficient sleep
• Make sure to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
• If it is hard for you to go to bed early enough to get 7.5 hours of sleep, do it gradually, going to be an hour (or half hour) earlier each night until you reach your ideal 'bedtime'.
• Drink warm decaffeinated tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. Be sure not to drink caffeine at least 3-4 hours before your bed time. Similarly, avoid alcohol three hours before bedtime. Drinking liquor before bedtime tends to disrupt the second part of sleep.
• Avoid working out right before bed as the body releases endorphins that will likely keep you awake.
• Start preparing for sleep an hour before bedtime by doing sleeping rituals each night before bed. Make sure to turn off all your electronic devices like the television, computer, and cell phone.
• Make sure to meditate and relax before going to sleep. Relaxing causes cortisol levels to drop, which will help your body burn more calories. Giving yourself a neck massage, listening to soothing music, or doing some Yoga poses will also help you fall asleep easier.
• Avoid carbohydrates for at least six hours before bed. When the body is low on carbohydrates, it starts using calories to burn fat for energy. If there are no carbohydrates in your system before bedtime, your body will burn more calories to burn fat for energy.
• Drink green tea before bed to burn more calories while sleeping. Green tea is proven to increase metabolism, which helps people burn more calories.
• Burn more calories at night by turning down the heater. Our bodies use more energy to keep warm. By turning down your heater at night, you will be turning up your body's metabolic rate, which will burn more calories to keep you warm.
As you eat better, you sleep better, and as you sleep better, you eat better. Sleep and eating are interconnected and positively or negatively affect each other.
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