Did you know that 40% of adults in the US are sleeping less than 6 hours a night and about over 2/3 of people are overweight?
It wasn’t until I made the connection between my work as a sleep & brain training expert with the field of weight loss that I was able to change everything for myself, and for my clients and students.
You see, there’s so much more to weight loss than eating right.
Let’s face it, most of us feel chronically stressed and many of us have trouble falling asleep at night.
We are neglecting our bodies and even start hating our bodies for not looking or behaving the way we want to.
Trust me, I’ve been there.
I wanted to take a moment to explain the connection between sleep and maintaining a healthy body weight since I get asked this question a lot.
It’s really amazing how this type of awareness can shift our relationship to an aspect important to our lives such as sleep, so let’s dive in.
A Vital Missing Piece:
It doesn’t come as a big surprise that something as straightforward as lack of sleep can actually be negatively impacting your life on various levels including your body weight.
Think about it…
You have two friends.
They both seem to be taking a lot of the right steps to be healthy.
Of these two friends, one friend is seeing results and everything is going smoothly while the other friend is struggling. She has constant food cravings, is tired and moody, and doesn’t seem to be seeing positive results no matter how hard she tries.
It can be easy to brush off the struggles of your one friend as having bad genetics, lack of training or knowledge, or commitment.
But did you know that diet and exercise aren’t the only things that control our weight?
“The eat less, move more” motto is not the only piece in this puzzle!
Believe it or not, sleep actually plays a vital role in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.
The shocking results of a study done by the 2013 Gallup poll showed that 40% of adults in the US are sleeping less than 6 hours a night and about the same percentage of people are overweight.
One or two nights of inadequate sleep might not make much of a difference but eventually, you will begin to see quantitative effects.
In a study undertaken at the University of Pennsylvania where Dr. Banks’s studied 92 healthy adults under periods of restricted and unrestricted sleep found that those who experienced only four hours in bed gained 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) during the 11-day study.
Now this might not seem like a lot, but you can imagine over time how it would really start to add up.
Common Physiological & Emotional Effects of Lack of Sleep:
Less growth hormone is released meaning we spend less time in slow-wave sleep, where most rejuvenation occurs.
- Sleep restriction can lead to an increase in the hormone GHRELIN, which stimulates the appetite and a decrease in LEPTIN levels which makes us feel satisfied and full. (University of Chicago)
- Because you are not rested and functioning at your best, your mind is groggy, and so is your metabolism.
- Insulin is not created or used as efficiently and excess insulin gets stored as fat in the cells (University of Chicago)
- Emotionally you may feel grogginess, short-tempered, have difficulty remembering things and find it harder to concentrate or stay focused
- It is scientifically proven that lack of sleep makes you feel more hungry and less centered which makes you more likely to reach for a sugary energy burst or an unhealthy snack that you might not otherwise have chosen if you were well-rested
Well, the solution to this seems simple! Get more sleep! Right?!
5 Ways Sleep Helps You Lose Weight:
- When we are sleeping, we aren’t late-night snacking.
- When you are rested you are less likely to buy impulsively when grocery shopping or doing errands.
- When you are well rested you have more energy and are more likely to get out and get some exercise.
- With proper sleep, your metabolism will function better, leading to a bigger calorie burn when you are awake.
- Your brain can function at its best when you rested supporting you to make the right decisions and choices for yourself.
FACT: The most powerful tool in the fight against fat… is your brain.
Here are some tips to help get back on track with both sleep and weight at the same time:
5 Ways To Shed The Weight With Sleep:
1. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier each night, then slowly work your way up to one hour earlier. You will be amazed at how easy this is.
2. Avoid caffeine in the evenings, ideally anytime after 2 pm, as it can, make you restless and keep you in the lighter stages of sleep.
3. Avoid heavy meals or snacks close to bedtime. A light snack is okay, but you shouldn’t go to sleep feeling full.
Some healthy & light, Doctor Recommended, snacks you can try before bed:
- Warm liquids like herbal tea or soup are easy on your digestive system and inherently calming.
- A banana is a quick and easy snack if you have already cleaned up your kitchen. It is also loaded with satiating fiber and relaxing tryptophan.
- Yogurt can help calm the stomach, aiding heartburn of indigestion. A few spoonfuls are enough to benefit
from the relaxing powers of tryptophan from the dairy, as well as the satisfying protein.
- Walnuts & Cherries are both high in melatonin. Having a few before bed has been proven to increase levels in your blood, making it easier to drift off to sleep.
4. Try using a sleep mask and earplugs. According to research by the National Institute of Sleep, these can reduce the time it takes to get to sleep and increase the amount of time spent in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. Higher levels of circulating melatonin in the blood, resulting in waking up less frequently during the night has also been found common among people who regularly wear masks and earplugs.
5. Engaging The Most Powerful Tool In The Fight Against Fat:
The brain is the most powerful tool we can use to support us in all areas of life, including bodyweight management.
All we really need to do to be happy, healthy, and confident in our bodies is to start listening to our natural, inner wisdom and engage the power of our brain.
Listen to a Guided Meditation or Brain Training Audio that will help you:
- enter the brain wave states required for a great rest;
- infuse your mind with powerful, positive, and uplifting thoughts that you require to make healthy decisions;
- and upon waking, you will feel that you have the energy and the confidence to do what you need to do for yourself in the best way.
The regular practice of meditation and brain-training have been medically linked to reducing insomnia, creating a better relationship with sleep, igniting natural weight loss, and increasing happiness and satisfaction in all areas of life.
Find out more ways brain training can help you succeed >> HERE << .
Every time you meditate, the right and left hemispheres of the brain are balanced which helps to quiet the mind and relax every system in the body. When your brain is in a calm and relaxed state infused with positive thoughts, you will notice that using willpower to control food cravings will no longer be an issue because you will naturally want to make healthy choices. It’s really quite amazing!
I saw such a big change in my Mum. She struggled with her weight and self-esteem for decades. Yet once she learned how to get that powerful tool, her brain, on board… and started listening to her body… she lost over 20 pounds absolutely effortlessly. She got a grip on her crazy cravings! She even started running at 67! But what I like best about my Mum’s story is that not only did she lose the excess fat but she also became so much happier and had tons of energy.
The key lies in re-connecting to our body’s natural wisdom. You can heal your life by listening to your body and training your brain.
Simply listen to a Brain Training Audio upon waking, upon going sleeping, or during the day on what we call a “Power Break” at a barely audible level… and then be truly amazed at the day-to-day changes you start to make, experience, and feel. Brain Training Audios also make anything else you’re doing in regards to health and fitness even more effective.
Our Sleep Your Fat Away Program uses the the power of brain training to help your weight loss journey be successful, transforming your life for good. Find out more here!
Resources:
UChicagoNews: http://bit.ly/1Rkj2cA
Gallup Poll: http://bit.ly/1VDAFt4
