Is Sleep Impacting your Weight?!
Your sleep quality directly impacts your eating habits!
You could be “doing all the right things” when it comes to choosing foods and moving your body but if your sleep quality sucks, you still may not get the results you’re working so hard for!!
Sleep quality is directly related to our Ghrelin and Leptin hormones:
⭐️ Ghrelin is the hormone from the stomach that stimulates the feeling of hunger.
⭐️ Leptin is the hormone from the adipose cells (fat) to regulate energy balance by stimulating the feeling of fullness.
❌When you have poor sleep quality (less than 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, no REM cycle) our bodies make more ghrelin and less leptin, meaning you feel HUNGRY MORE and FULL LESS.. aka your body thinks it needs more food than it actually does.
This is clearly counterproductive if you’re trying to manage your weight.The quality of your sleep plays a huge role in hormone balance and weight management. Here are some easy tips for a better night’s sleep!
1. Say no to blue light. Whether you’re catching up on social media, or doing some mindless internet browsing? Toss on some blue light blocking glasses 1-2 hours before bed. Blue light from your electronics has been shown to negatively impact sleep quality by inhibiting REM cycle.
2. Write it out. Typically, our best ideas come at night. With those ideas come a number of other thoughts. Try to avoid that wake up call from your brain at 3am by writing out a “mental dump” before going to bed. Jot down everything you’re currently thinking about to alleviate some stress before bed.
3. Relaxation Mode: ON. Set up an emergency midnight glass of water. Turn on that lavender diffuser to calm the room. Dim the lights all over the house after dinner so you begin to decompress. Lower the temperature of the house to 60-70 degrees for a cool and comfortable night’s sleep.
4. DO NOT DISTURB. Where are those hotel tags when you need them?! Set your phone to do not disturb or vibrate. Fight the urge to use your phone at least one hour before bed.
5. If you’re over hearing, just breathe. I know breathing techniques aren’t for everyone, but do some sort of relaxing activity before bed. Journaling, stretches, meditation, read a book, can all quiet your mind when you need to the most.
6. Forget counting sheep and start being intentional. Lay your workout clothes for the morning. Turn on some white noise. Get into bed at a time that will allow you between 7-9 hours of sleep. Keep the room dark; consider black out curtains. And just REST. Night Night!
Which tip(s) are you going to implement tonight?!
