Many times it takes more than diet changes and exercise to reach your weight loss goals. If you're feeling discouraged, I encourage you to look outside the box to see what other factors may be affecting your weight loss.
Weight Loss Tip #13 - Prioritize Proper Sleep
Did you know that poor sleep can actually increase your appetite? Many studies have found individuals who are sleep deprived report an increase in appetite. This change in appetite is most likely caused by a change in hunger hormones, ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is a hormone that signals hunger in the brain. Levels are high before consuming food and decrease after eating once the stomach is full. Leptin is a hormone that signals fullness in the brain and suppresses hunger. When individuals are not getting adequate sleep, the body increasesghrelin production and makes less leptin. This imbalance in these hormones leads to increased hunger and less satiety. In addition to affecting hormone, lack of sleep dulls the frontal lobe in the brain which alters our abilities to make decisions, resist temptations and practice self-control. Cravings for sweets and simple carbhoydrates can be the body's way of acquiring some extra energy when we're overly tired. One study showed calorie intake increases by 20-25% when lacking proper sleep. The moral of the story is - lack of sleep leads to feeling more hungry, being less satisfied, cravings for less nutritent dense foods and lack of energy to exercise - not a great combination when your goal is weight loss! Recommended hours of sleep per day for adults is 7-9 hours. A recent CDC study showed that 1 in 3 adults are not getting proper sleep.
My challenge for you this week is to check your sleep schedule. If you have a Fitbit, Apple Watch or similiar, use it to start tracking your sleep. Set bedtime reminders in your phone or do some adjusting to your night time routine to fit in proper sleep. It's a game changer! I'm here for you and I believe in you! See you next week.
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