Weight loss and sleep.
Don't Let Lack of Sleep Sabotage Your Weight Loss Plan
When developing and following a weight loss plan, most people pay a lot of attention to what they are eating, how much they are eating and making sure they increase their exercise. Those things are certainly crucial to any successful dieter but they are not the only concerns you should have. One thing that can easily sabotage your weight loss efforts is to not pay attention to the amount and quality of your sleep.
Getting enough rest is essential to your well being at any time but when you are trying to lose weight, it becomes even more important to get enough sleep. Lack of adequate sleep will often leave you irritable, depressed and even confused. Between depression and fatigue, you will have a tendency to become much less active which means that burn less calories. That is one reason that lack of sleep often causes a diet to be unsuccessful.
When you get too little or poor quality sleep, your body is under a lot of stress. This stress triggers the adrenal gland to produce two hormones that can cause serious issues for those trying to lose weight. The adrenal gland releases both adrenaline and cortisol on a regular basis as part of the natural hormonal cycles of the body. It's when they are over-produced that problems can arise.
Adrenaline is used by the body to help fat cells release the energy stored inside. It keeps your metabolic rate at its peak as well as making you feel energetic and alert. Cortisol helps the body derive glucose from the proteins it takes in. That's why when you get “stressed out”, you can feel a quick burst of energy.
When your body is under emotional or physical stress such as what happens when you don't get enough rest, these hormones are released when they are really not necessary.
The extra adrenaline causes adrenal fatigue which is when the brain gets the false signal that you need more energy and so creates a craving for carbohydrates and sugars.
This false signal can quickly have you consuming far more calories than you need which end up stored as fat.
Excess cortisol will trigger your body to eat as this is the hormone that largely controls the appetite. It will also push your body to produce more glucose than is needed. Remember what happens when you have more glucose in your system than your body can use? That's right – it gets stored in fat cells. One more thing to think about when it comes to cortisol is that recent studies have shown that excess cortisol is stored in fat cells mostly around the belly area. Not only does this sabotage your dieting efforts, it also increases health risks.
As you can see, adequate sleep really is a vital ingredient in any weight loss plan. You should be striving to always get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. To make this easier, most people benefit from establishing a nighttime routine and a regular bedtime. Your bedtime routine could include brushing your teeth, washing your face and things of that nature – these things will help you unwind and relax in order to make sleep come easier.
