Sleep and Weight Loss: How to Hit Your Goals Faster!
Has anyone ever told you that you need to get more sleep? Well, they’re onto something. In order to wake up feeling refreshed as well as allowing your broken-down muscle fibers to rebuild and get stronger, you need a minimum of seven (7) hours of sleep each and every night. And no, you can’t “go to bed early” one night to “make up for lost sleep.” It doesn’t work that way. But, taking things one step further – there is a direct correlation between sleep and weight loss.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program, changing your daily nutrition, or adding any supplements to your regimen.
Table of contents
No Sleep and Weight Loss Don’t Mix Well
Your diet obviously plays a huge roll in your sleep and weight loss. But, know that several factors go into how successful you are. When it comes to sleep and weight loss, there’s a lot you need to understand and implement.
Research has found that individuals who aren’t getting proper rest tend to consume more sugar on a daily basis. Also, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but if you aren’t getting enough sleep at night, you’ll probably be looking for a cup of coffee at some point to boost your energy levels. What do most people put in their coffee? A lot of sugar and creamers and those calories add up quickly if you aren’t tracking them.
Risk of Hormone Imbalances
When it comes to sleep and weight loss, not getting enough shut-eye can throw off your hunger hormones. Hunger hormones? What the heck are those? Your body has two hunger hormones – leptin and ghrelin. These hormones have the ability to initiate the feeling of hunger as well as turning it off.
Related Article: Avoid These 7 Deadly Sins of Weight Loss at All Cost!
Leptin is made by fat cells and its main job is to decrease your appetite. On the opposite side of the spectrum is ghrelin. The main job of ghrelin is to increase your appetite. As you can tell, these hormones (leptin and ghrelin) work to balance each other out. When you aren’t getting enough sleep, your body isn’t getting enough leptin to tell you that you are full. This causes the sensation of hunger due to there being an increased amount of ghrelin, even when your body isn’t looking for fuel and food.
When you are sleep deprived, you will feel as if you’re constantly starving and will have you raiding the pantry and refrigerator for food. You can obviously see what this would lead to – overeating and could send your total caloric intake for the day through the roof.
Cortisol Affects Sleep and Weight Loss
Cortisol is a stress-related hormone. When the body becomes stressed, cortisol levels increase which produces energy. For instance, in the morning when we wake up, cortisol levels are elevated and give us the energy to move forward with our day and be productive. However, when the body is stressed and we don’t have a way to decrease the levels of cortisol in the body (like through relaxation or mediation), it doesn’t allow for proper sleep and weight loss.
Related Article: Reach Your Fitness Goals in 7 Easy Steps!
As our day progresses, cortisol production should be slowing down and reduce our energy levels (which is ideal to allow you to sleep soundly at night). Therefore, it’s imperative that you understand how to properly deal with stressors and stressful situations in your life to allow your mind and body to relax when it’s time to settle down and go to bed.
Click here to continue reading…
*Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links or ads, which means we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through these links. These commissions help support the operation and maintenance of our website, allowing us to continue producing free valuable content. Your support is genuinely appreciated, whether you choose to use our links or not. Thank you for being a part of our community and enjoying our content.
PLEASE CONSIDER SHARING THIS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA TO HELP OTHERS LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC. SIMPLY CLICK BELOW!
