What do you do when you want to shed the pounds? Maybe count calories. Or you hit it hard at the gym. But do you think about the sleep weight loss connection?
Sleep is a key factor in your weight loss journey. And if you overlook that, you might not understand why your diet is hitting a roadblock.
The sleep weight loss connection has been studied by many researchers. And here’s what they’ve observed.
Sleep deprived individuals tend to make bad diet choices. And they in general have a harder time losing weight no matter what they eat.
The Sleep Weight Loss Connection
You’re about to see sleep in a whole new light. Because sleep isn’t just a luxury for those with time. It’s something that’s essential for your health.
Sleep helps you hit your weight loss goals more quickly. And it assist with everything else you do for your diet.
Here are 5 ways sleep can help you lose weight.
Hunger
Lack of sleep makes you hungry. To understand this, you need to understand that you produce two hormones that affect your hunger.
The first is ghrelin. This hormone sends signals to your brain that you’re hungry. The other is leptin. This hormone tells your brain that you’re full.
When you’re sleeping deprived, your weight loss goals move farther away. That’s because you produce more of the hormone that makes you hungry. And at the same time, you make less of the hormone that signals you’re full. So your body sends your brain the wrong messages.
You’re constantly hungry and want to eat. But even if you eat, you won’t get the message you’re full. You need to sleep more to eat less.
Stress
When you’re sleep-deprived, you’re probably in a bad mood. And this can start a dangerous cycle. First you’re stressed because you didn’t sleep well. Next, you’re not sleeping at night because you’re stressed.
And how does this stress impact your weight? Let’s talk about the hormone cortisol. This is one of the hormones your body secretes when it’s stressed.
Cortisol is a vital hormone for when you experience life or death threats. It helps you fight or flee when your life is in danger. This is called the fight or flight response,
But when you’re just tired and anxious from a bad night’s sleep, cortisol isn’t helpful. It slows down your metabolism and makes it hard to hit weight loss goals.
The cortisol makes your body think you’re in a life threatening situation. So it will hold onto every calorie for energy to fight off an attacker.
It’s important to sleep well to reduce stress and anxiety. That way, cortisol doesn’t get in the way of weight loss.
Related reading: Yoga For Anxiety in 10 Minutes
Energy
You feel totally down in the dumps when you’re not well rested.
You? Get off the couch? Not today!
Bad sleep leads to low energy. And now those exercise and workout goals are on hold. You had committed to working out 5 times a week. But you don’t feel like doing anything.
And what if you do lace up your sneakers to go for a run? You’re likely to get tired faster. And you’ll be exhausted after very little exertion.
Sleep is vital for a good mood and high energy. And high energy will help you move more.
Blood Glucose
When you’re sleep deprived, your body won’t process glucose (sugar) well. This comes down to another hormone called insulin.
Sleep deprivation can lead to poor insulin function. When insulin isn’t functioning properly, your blood sugar goes up.
And this is when the sleep weight loss connection gets really interesting. How does your body deal with your blood sugar going up?
It creates more fat!
Everything you eat gets quickly turned into fat. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to eat well and exercise. When insulin isn’t working properly, your cells absorb excess glucose and you become a fat building machine.
Better sleep can help you get your blood glucose under control.
Bad Choices
When you don’t sleep well, you feel horrible all day.
There you are, fighting to keep your head up. Anything that will give you energy is your new best friend.
Yes, you’ll probably turn to caffeine. But you’re also likely to seek sugary foods. These will give you the energy boost you need to feel good again.
Studies looking into the relationship between sleep loss and sweet cravings have found they’re connected. It’s not always that sleep deprived people are hungrier. They’re also more likely to choose sweets over other options, despite hunger levels.
So healthy eating becomes an uphill battle. And weight loss because more difficult
Get Better Sleep
So now you understand the sleep weight loss connection. So how do you get better sleep?
- Set a bedtime so you’re not tempted to stay up.
- Wear an eye mask to block out ambient light.
- Choose earplugs to muffle loud sounds.
- Take natural supplements to help you sleep better.
And what’s our top supplement pick for sleep and weight loss? Try Melt PM. This is a natural supplement designed specifically for helping you lose weight through better sleep.
Melt PM helps you fall asleep faster and sleep deeper. And then it helps you eat less and burn more fat the next day.
First, it will help you relax with the natural calming power of Ashwagandha, Valerian, Melatonin, and more. These are some of the best natural remedies for stress and insomnia.
Plus, it sets you up for ongoing weight management. With less stress and better mood management, you’ll likely eat less all day.
It even includes ingredients that will help you control your appetite. Plus it can help give your metabolism a boost.
But most importantly, Melt PM helps you sleep. And when you sleep well, you’ve set your diet up for success!
