How Bad Sleep Could be Triggering Your Weight Gain

What does sleep loss have to do with weight gain?

Sleep loss (lack of sleep, sleep deprivation or Insomnia) is a massive problem among adults worldwide.

Health issues aside, not getting enough sleep regularly can lead to what might at first seem like a harmless side-effect. Diet.

Whether you’re just too tired to cook at the end of the day, or you’re comfort eating because you’re exhausted...

Hey.... You’re not alone! And you’re not to blame. We’re humans. We eat. That’s what we do.

But there is a direct link between tiredness and diet that could be affecting you in more ways than you think.

Why am I not sleeping well?

If it’s not a newly born baby that’s kept you up all night, or your partner snoring, or the neighbours building works starting at 6am.. then it’s the stress of your job, relationship issues, mattress/bedding comfort levels, mosquitos, the tick of a wall clock...and the list goes on.

But what happens as a result of not getting the Zees you need?

You wake up feeling miserable and annoyed with everyone. You go to work stressed and you feel sorry for yourself. You drink coffee and eat doughnuts at work keep you awake. You finish the day feeling exhausted, low on energy and with no motivation to do any kind of exercise. The choice to go to the gym or not to go to the gym, is an easy one.

Convincing yourself you don’t have time to prepare and eat something healthy in the evening is also easy, and the temptation to ‘order in’ is made ever more convenient by new apps allowing us to make a few clicks without speaking to a single soul, sling on Netflix and in 30 mins your delicious, insanely calorie-high takeaway is on your doorstep.

Our zero motivation for exercise, isn’t helped by the cold, rainy country we live in. So it’s no wonder you don’t fancy a run around the block on those dark, drizzly evenings.

However, if you thought you could do something to help you sleep better, have less desire to eat junk food, and be more motivated to exercise, you would right?

Anyone who tells you they don’t occasionally indulge in one of the following: chocolate, burgers, chips, kebabs, tacos, or biscuits, died inside a long time ago. But controlling what we eat and exercising regularly is key to keeping in shape and helping burn those calories, which ultimately means that you will be able to eat more of the stuff you know is naughty when you feel like it.

So, how can getting a decent regular night’s sleep help curb those cravings, promote healthy eating and motivate you to exercise more?

Hormones that regulate hunger and appetite can be altered when you’re sleep deprived. This can increase your appetite and decrease your desire to expend energy. Simply put, making you lazier and more hungry.

When you’re running low on energy from lack of sleep, you’re also prone to making bad decisions about which foods are best to eat, and more impulsive to reach for the momentary feel good ones that shall not be named.

Sleep is also vital in stabilising metabolism. As you walk around like a zombie after a night staring at the ceiling, your metabolism will have dropped as your body is trying desperately to conserve its resources, making it even harder for you to burn off the calories from those starchy, fatty and salty foods that you’ve treated yourself to because you’re feeling tired. But again, it’s not a conscious decision you’ve made so don’t feel guilty, it’s happened because of high Cortisol levels in your brain (from lack of sleep) being fended off by the release of Serotonin, which occurs when you stuff yourself with all that lovely grub mentioned above.

So this all relates back to the Big ZZZ’s.

If you feel that you suffer from sleep loss, even by just an hour or so a night, and you’re finding it hard to lose weight, or noticing weight gain, then it’s time to make sleep a priority in your life. It’s time to invest in it. It’s time to let no one (not even your neighbour’s barking dog) get in the way of it.

So if you want to find out more about how to improve your sleep, discover how much you should be getting and expert advice on creating the ultimate Z den, then click the link below to let Drowsy Sleep Co. give you some hints, tips and hacks on how to make a good night’s sleep much more achievable.

Get Drowsy. Sleep Better.