Do you get enough sleep? I usually get a reasonable amount (even when I get up at 5:30AM) but this week for some reason I have been wide awake several days in a row at 2:00 in the morning.
Last night I was working on an offer and I was so tired it was hard to focus and my head started pounding. That my friends is not a good sign.
Aside from the obvious statement that adequate sleep is necessary to be healthy, did you know that inadequate sleep can also cause weight gain? Studies have actually shown that people who eat less and sleep less weigh more than people who eat more and sleep more. Of course if you eat a lot and sleep a lot you are not going to lose weight but the point is...we really need to get our sleep.
The reason why people who don't get enough sleep weigh more seems to be related to cortisol levels in our bodies.
Insufficient sleep can cause the release of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland when the body is under stress. It appears that lack of sleep can create a constant state of stress, even if we don't perceive it.
A constant state of stress can lead to a constant state of excess cortisol production.
Excess cortisol stimulates glucose production and the excess glucose then typically is converted into fat, ending up as stored fat. Excess Cortisol can also stimulate hunger.
I took Melatonin last night to help me sleep. It is healthy and the body needs it. A lot of elderly people have continual trouble sleeping and that is believed to be partly caused by depleting levels of Melatonin in the body. The Melatonin definitely helped but I was still up an hour earlier than usual today. Hopefully things will be back to normal by tomorrow.
I have heard people say so often that they are eating all the right things but they just can't get their weight to drop. People rarely ask them if they are getting enough sleep.
I know I will from now on.
Be healthy,
Alan
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2 comments:
I absolutely agree with this and have read in a number of places how essential good sleep is to weight loss, and overall health.
When the kids were babies and sleep was at a premium, the day that you woke up after a blissful full nights sleep, everything looked brighter and I know that my mood can be very strongly affected by not getting proper sleep.
I haven't had more than three solid hours in a row over the last week and have also been up at 2am every night with cold packs on my poison ivy trying to calm the itching. I can feel my tension because of it, and am also not making the best food choices because I am on edge. I know that when I do get a full night in, I will feel so much better, I just have to wait for it to happen.
Good blog, too many people just don't realize how important sleep is.
It sounds like you and I have been having about as much sleep but yours sounds so painful. Hang in there and remember no matter what you look like with Poison Ivy YOU ARE ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL :-)
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