Ever wake up in the morning and wish you could sleep just a bit more? (This girl is kidding me right?)

I hear ya. I’m totally sleep deprived today, and I know you can relate.

This past weekend I was in Wichita Kansas at a friend’s wedding. If you have ever attended an “out of town” wedding you know it’s jam packed with events: lunches, dinners, late night celebrations. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time but I am SO tired and SO sleep deprived and it actually hurts. It really hurts.

The worst part of all, is after just 1 day of sleep deprivation I started reaching for chocolate and sweets for a quick pick me up. (Oh yeah, now you can relate.)

How does sleep (or sleep deprivation) affect your weight loss efforts? Believe it or not, the impact is huge!

Here are just a few reasons why sleeping may be the missing link to your weight loss efforts:

1. When you’re tired, it is so much harder to make healthy choices.
I’m not sure if this is more about psychology or physiology or a
combination of both. However, I know I have experienced it
firsthand. When I get a good night’s sleep, sticking to my regular
exercise and healthy eating routine is a cinch. But when I’m sleep
deprived, I somehow think that chocolate and sugar will make me
feel better. The truth is, it never does! It actually makes me feel
worse. Much worse, because the blood sugar highs and lows makes me
more tired and cranky than before I ate the sweets. (Nothing is
worse than a cranky Isabel. Well, maybe cranky {!firstname} is
worse, but who am I to say?).

2. Now for some science. Researchers from several separate studies
have found a link between sleep and the hormones that influence our
eating behavior. Two specific hormones are involved. Ghrelin is
responsible for feelings of hunger. Leptin tells the brain when
it’s time to stop. When you’re sleep deprived, your ghrelin levels
increase at the same time that your leptin levels decrease. The
result is an increased craving for food and not feeling full (a
hormone disaster as far as staying on track with a healthy eating
plan). Nothing is worse than craving food and being hungry at the
same time.

3. Many people don’t know this, but your body adjusts itself based
on your circadian rhythms and the amount of sunlight outside.
Without getting too deep into the science, these rhythms and light
tell your body to physically recover approximately between the
hours of 10pm-2am and to mentally recover approximately between
2am-6am. If you aren’t getting to bed until 12am, you are missing
out on 2 crucial hours of physical repair. This can result in all
sorts of aches and pains that do not get better, no matter what you
try. I have seen clients relieve bad backs and aching joints by
just getting to bed by 10pm. I have even seen people get smarter by
sleeping til 6am (ok, I made this last statement up but wouldn’t
that be great?). All kidding aside, I have seen people act
consistently sharper when they are well rested.

How are you going to get a good night’s sleep to ensure you are not
sabotaging your weight loss efforts?

Here are a few tips for getting a good night’s sleep:

1. Don’t watch TV before bed. You may not realize how fired up the
news or your favorite TV show gets you before bed time. Instead
grab a book or your favorite magazine and read in bed. This works
wonders, especially a good fiction book that will help you forget
the day’s events.

2. Cut your caffeine intake early in the day. An afternoon coffee
or tea can still be racing through your blood stream at 10pm. Cut
out your last caffeinated beverage by noon. This includes all
coffee and teas (except herbal teas). Once you catch up on your
sleep, you won’t be so dependent on your afternoon java kick.

3. Avoid Sugar before bed. (You were avoiding sugar anyway right?)
Consuming sugar right before bed leads to a blood sugar roller
coaster ride, potentially waking you up in the middle of the night
due to a blood sugar low.

4. Put your work away before bed. There is nothing worse than a
racing mind before bed. Crunching numbers and reading work
documents right before bed may lead to dreams about work (or
nightmares). End all work at least 2 hours before bed. If this is
not possible for you, you may need to reassess your work schedule a
bit.

Whatever the adjustments are for you, remember, sleep may just be
the missing link in your nutrition, exercise and health regimen.
Stick to your Diet Solution Meal Plans and tuck yourself in at 10pm
each night.

Night, night!

In health and happiness,

Isabel De Los Rios
www.TheDietSolutionProgram.com

Filed under:
Health, Weight Loss by Isabel