3 reasons why little sleep makes you fat

A lot of people don't know this, but a lack of sleep could be the big missing link in their fat loss efforts!

How does sleep (or sleep deprivation) affect your weight loss efforts?

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. We have all had this feeling... When we wake up and feel like we don't want to be anywhere else BUT our bed, it is very unlikely that we will make good choices such as going to the gym or eating right! I know this because I am guilty of it from time to time! When I have very little sleep, I find that I actually LOOK for excuses to not go to the gym.

2. 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 our WORST NIGHTMARE. What could possibly be worse than our body telling us "Lets eat! And not stop!!!"

3. 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 people relieve bad backs and aching joints by just getting to bed by 10pm. So set up a certain time that your going to sleep AND wake up...

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

Utilize these few tips:

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.

So those few things should help you out a bunch! Make sure to really take this in and use it so that you can start burning a lot of fat and so you can get ready for summer :-)

-Clayton